Coinbase to open Charlotte office, hire 130 as part of US expansion and Trump-aligned push

Crypto exchange Coinbase is expanding to Charlotte, North Carolina, a spokesperson for the firm confirmed with The Block on Wednesday. The plan includes an “immediate commitment” to hire upwards of 130 local employees as well as investing in a new physical office. 

“This is our first physical presence in the city,” the spokesperson said, noting that “Coinbase’s investment in the local workforce is a nod to Charlotte’s position as a growing financial and tech hub, which makes it an ideal location for this expansion as we scale to meet growing customer and compliance needs.”

According to the spokesperson, the roles will largely center around the exchange’s “Compliance and Customer Support” division over the next six months. 

Coinbase has at times faced criticism from users who sometimes find themselves being logged out of their accounts or unable to access funds, often stemming from its automated compliance systems. Some high-profile users have taken to social media to get executives' attention when they cannot connect with customer support. 

The move is also part of Coinbase’s growing commitment “to invest in local U.S. economies and workforces, which are vital for a healthy national and global economy,” the spokesperson said. Last month, while at the White House for the first Digital Asset Summit, CEO Brian Armstrong committed to hire 1,000 new domestic employees — in a nod to President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda. 

“Coinbase is planning to hire about 1,000 people in the United States this year as a direct result of his actions already in the first 60 days or so,” Armstrong said in a video posted to X on March 7. Notably, in January 2023, the exchange laid off approximately 950 employees, or about 20% of its workforce, to improve "operational efficiency" during the Crypto Winter, after having cut 1,100 jobs, or 18% of its workforce, in June 2022 before dismissing another 60 employees in November of that same year.

Armstrong was one of the many crypto executives who supported Trump’s reelection campaign. The two reportedly met privately in November to discuss personnel appointments for Trump’s second administration, focusing on roles like the Securities and Exchange Commission chair and Treasury Secretary that could shape crypto regulation.

Coinbase contributed over $100 million to pro-crypto political action committees like Fairshake, which supported candidates favoring crypto-friendly policies. 

To some extent, the decision to spin up a new office outside of Coinbase’s existing coastal hubs in San Francisco and New York City represents something of a shift for the organization that famously declared itself to be a “decentralized company with no headquarters" in 2020. 

The spokesperson noted the firm is still “remote first” and that around 95% of the workforce can work from home. “However we have some roles globally that are in office due to the nature of the role and our focus on how we can best deliver for our customers,” they said.

“The bigger picture here is we're making an intentional push to meet top talent where they are,” the spokesperson said. “There are plenty of product/engineering/etc roles on our careers page that are remote, so of course we'd welcome applications from the Charlotte area with regards to those as well.”