Mega Meta office opens amid hybrid wave

Meta, Facebook's parent company, celebrated its 15th year in Chicago last week by announcing a new Loop space and plans for expansion.

Why it matters: The maligned social media company employs more than 500 people here. This is now its largest office in the Midwest.

• The new space can accommodate 1,000 employees.

Driving the news: Meta Chicago moved to 151 N. Franklin St. in the Loop, taking over 11 floors of the 35-story building.

The intrigue: This massive office is opening at a time when other big companies are trotting out hybrid schedules and investing in remote work.

• According to the Chicago Tribune, Meta is making it optional for employees to work in the new office.

What they're saying: "We’re incredibly proud of the growth that we’ve experienced," Meta's chief culture officer, Nikki Newsome, tells Axios.

• "Like so many, we’ve endured the hardships of the pandemic but have turned our sights towards welcoming our employees back to our new office with safety as our top priority."

Zoom in: The office is mostly for sales and recruiting, but Meta just expanded its data center in DeKalb.

• "We're drawing on experience from all corners of the world, not just Silicon Valley, because we understand the power of proximity and the benefit of being here in Chicago," Newsome says.

Yes, but: There are still questions about Facebook, which has come under fire for giving space to misinformation campaigns and hate speech. It also just settled a lawsuit about privacy in Illinois.

• "We know that we won't always get it right, so we are always actively tackling misinformation by using research, teams and technologies in the most comprehensive and effective way possible to ensure that our users' data is protected and safe," Newsome says.