Microsoft Expanding In North Carolina, Will Hire Hundreds

Microsoft Corp. is expanding its North Carolina footprint by hiring new workers to build out its engineering and quantum computing businesses.

The software maker and Gov. Roy Cooper announced on Friday that the $23 million expansion in Charlotte aims to create 430 new jobs by 2023.

The Redmond, Washington-based company could receive $8.5 million in state incentives over time if it meets job-creation and investment goals. A state panel awarded an incentives deal to Microsoft minutes before Microsoft executives and Cooper unveiled the expansion at a Charlotte event. The state Department of Commerce says North Carolina won out over competing offers from Irving, Texas and Fargo, North Dakota.

Microsoft already has 1,400 employees in North Carolina, with 1,150 in Charlotte. Average salaries for the new jobs could reach almost $99,000.