Marko Liias

Our state's innovation strategy received a strong endorsement this week as Facebook announced a new Seattle office is opening this summer!

Facebook has become one of the leaders in 21st century social networking and implementation of Web 2.0 technology.

Even more encouraging is the strong endorsement that the company gives to our region!  Facebook has recognized that in order to meet the tremendous growth in membership, they need new talent.  And our region is a place to find that talent.

Here is a great quote from the Facebook press release:

"As we grow to meet these challenges, we need to continue to attract the smartest, most talented technologists on the Internet. Seattle has a strong history of innovation and is home to thousands of talented technical people who we want to help us solve the challenges of designing and building the next generation of Facebook." (emphasis added)

A cornerstone of our economic recovery is sustaining our state's innovation economy.  I was pleased to support fair tax treatment for software companies this year, and our revenue package did not include tax increases for software or research and development.  These decisions will help ensure that we remain a leader in innovation.

Facebook joins a community of excellence in Seattle, from Amazon.com to Microsoft to the host of forward-looking startups in the region.  Together these innovators have created thousands of jobs and create billions in economic development for our state.

Read more about the Facebook announcement here

TechCrunch also coming to Seattle

List of some great Seattle-based startups