Corbis to add 70 tech and marketing employees in Seattle
By Seattle Business Magazine December 13, 2011
Corbis, the Bill Gates-owned company that sells stock photography and other visual media, will be shutting down its Calgary, Alberta, operation in early 2012, eliminating 80 positions. The company says it will be looking to hire 70 new employees in marketing and technology in Seattle.
The Calgary employees became part of Corbis four years ago when the company acquired Veer, an online supplier of stock images. Corbis has 700 employees worldwide, including 400 in Seattle. Originally launched by Gates to acquire digital rights to famous paintings and photographs, the company has increasingly been remaking itself as a full-line provider of digital images to websites. Recent deals include a distribution agreement with The Associated Press and the acquisition of Demotix, a United Kingdom-based provider of breaking-news photography.
The company is increasingly moving into the entertainment space where it already owns rights to the use of images of such famous people as Albert Einstein, Steve McQueen and Nicole Kidman.