Google has backed off plans to set up a campus in Berlin following local protests.
Google announced plans to open a hub in the German capital almost two years ago to help develop tech startups. But locals protested that it would push rents in the city even higher and lead to more gentrification — both of which are already sensitive topics in Berlin.
In September, demonstrators staged a protest at the building where the hub was set to be located. They also posted stickers with phrases like "Goodbye Google" around the neighborhood.
So, in what's being described as an unexpected decision, Google announced Wednesday it wouldn't move into the building and handed the space over to a couple of local nonprofits instead.
The company also announced it would pay the organizations' rent on the building until the end of the lease in 2023.
A Google spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that the company doesn't plan to open a campus anywhere in Germany anymore, but it is planning to expand one of its offices in Berlin.
