Alphabet, the parent of Google, is accelerating its India expansion with a major office push in Bengaluru that could create up to 20,000 jobs, highlighting how tighter US visa rules are reshaping global technology hiring strategies.
The company has leased one office tower and taken options on two more at Alembic City in Whitefield, a key IT hub in east Bengaluru. If fully occupied, the three towers could more than double Alphabet’s India workforce and reinforce the city’s role as its largest base outside the United States.
The three towers together span around 24 lakh square feet. One tower has already been leased and is expected to open for employees in the coming months, while construction on the remaining two is likely to be completed next year.
Once fully operational, the campus could house up to 20,000 employees. Alphabet currently employs around 14,000 people in India and about 1,90,000 globally. In India, the company has offices in several cities, but Bengaluru remains its primary technology and engineering hub.
The expansion comes against the backdrop of tighter US immigration policies, particularly changes to the H-1B visa programme. Sharply higher visa fees and stricter rules have made it more expensive and uncertain for American companies to relocate skilled professionals from India to the US.
These constraints are pushing global technology firms to strengthen teams outside America. India, with its deep pool of engineering talent and growing capabilities in advanced technologies, is increasingly seen as a strategic location rather than a support base.
Alphabet’s hiring push also reflects the intensifying global race in artificial intelligence. Google has been scaling up roles in AI, cloud computing, chip design and machine learning in India. It opened its largest campus in Bengaluru last year and continues to post a steady stream of technology openings, including for YouTube’s generative AI initiatives.
Other AI-focused firms are expanding their India footprint as well. Companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic have increased hiring and leadership presence in the country, underscoring India’s rising importance in developing and deploying AI at scale.
The trend extends beyond Alphabet. The combined India workforce of major US technology companies — including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Meta and Netflix — grew 16 percent over the past year, the fastest pace in three years.
The renewed hiring momentum suggests a structural shift in global tech talent strategies, with immigration hurdles, costs and the need for scalable AI talent accelerating India’s emergence as a core innovation hub.