Microsoft, Expedia announce broad reopenings in moves that may signal a new phase in COVID pandemic

Microsoft and Expedia both announced plans Monday to reopen their Washington work sites.

Redmond-based Microsoft is moving its offices in Washington state to the final stage of its phased reopening plan, effective Feb. 28, the company said Monday.

Expedia, the Seattle-based travel company, will reopen its Interbay headquarters on a hybrid basis starting April 4, a spokesperson said in a statement Monday less than an hour after Microsoft’s announcement. 

News of Microsoft’s reopening in particular sent ripples through the Seattle area, where many employers and workers are still debating when and whether to go back to the office.

“That’s a really, really big deal,” said Margaret O’Mara, a University of Washington historian who has written extensively about tech hubs like Seattle. 

Microsoft is not only one of the region’s largest employers, O’Mara said, but was one of the first companies in the world to go remote when COVID hit. Many other employers will be asking, O’Mara said, whether this “sends a signal: Is this over? Is this the new normal? Are we on the other side of this?”