Extension Feb 27, 2020

Apple: the Munich location continues growing

After the Alphabet subsidiary Google announced at the end of last year that it wanted to recruit 1,500 new employees in the Bavarian capital, Apple did not hang around for much longer: in addition to the currently roughly 300 engineers from more than 40 countries, up to 1,500 more employees are going to join them. They will work at the Karl office building, which will be built in Karlstraße by 2021. However, the corporation apparently does not want to wait until it is fully completed, as more than 60 different positions in research and development have already been advertised.

Apple in Munich


Almost everyone knows what an Apple Store looks like from the inside and outside. But the clear, catchy corporate design is reserved for the stores. Neither at the new location on Karlstraße, nor at the existing “Bavarian Design Center” near the main train station will there be large white apples. The focus in these large complexes (the Karl office building alone has about 30,000 square meters) is not on representing the brand, solving user problems or repairing customer iPhones, but on research and development. The current focus is on the power management unit, which is responsible for ensuring that each part of the device receives the power it needs at all times. In future, the new workforces that Apple is bundling in Munich through the expansion will probably be used more to integrate the 5G standard into Apple products. Currently (February 2020) there are no 5G-capable devices from the brand with the apple.


Apple sees clear locational advantages in Munich


One might almost call Tim Cook a fan of the Bavarian capital. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) he raved about the advantages in Munich: You can employ a team here that you couldn't put together anywhere else, with talents that you can't find elsewhere. The Apple CEO was referring to the graduates of the two local elite universities, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU). The Bavarian capital's low rent in international comparison is another locational advantage that numerous global players take advantage of: in addition to Alphabet and Apple, the Microsoft and Amazon German headquarters are located here too, for example. Corporations also appreciate the clear structures that Bavaria and Germany offer them; in many other countries, regulations that are less precise and unclear bureaucracy regulations are an incalculable cost factor.

Innovation meets tradition: the Bits&Pretzels conference at the Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest permanently brings movement to Munich


The largest folk festival in the world has been held regularly on the Theresienwiese since 1810. Even after more than 200 years, it is still a factor that benefits Munich as a location. This was also the case with Apple: Apple boss Tim Cook was a guest in Munich at the 2019 Oktoberfest and used his stay to visit the Bavarian Design Center for the first time in addition to the Oktoberfest. Invest in Bavaria was of course also represented there as part of the Bits & Pretzels Oktoberfest Innovation Tour – together with more than 15 international start-up multipliers. Every year, the three-day tour is characterised by lectures, networks and exciting insights into Munich’s world of start-ups.