A customer shows a pair of Snapchat Spectacles, a pair of camera-equipped sunglasses made by Snapchat Inc. (Photo : Getty Images)
Though blocked in China, the parent company of U.S. messaging app Snapchat is trying to establish its presence in China as Snapchat Inc. opened a technology office in Shenzhen and announced hiring of new workers, a CNN report said.
The new office was established for the company's Spectacles, the sunglasses are equipped with camera that can send footage to the users' Snapchat accounts.
The sunglasses, which are assembled in China, are the company's first venture into hardware using Bluetooth and WiFi to connect to users, the report said.
About 20 people are now employed in the new office to work on research and development. Most of the company's product design and engineering works are done in its Los Angeles headquarters. The company has more than 1,500 employees worldwide, according to Snap.
China's tech blogs wrote about the news on Snapchat's Shenzhen office after people noticed its job postings in WeChat.
According to Snapchat's recruitment ad, the company is looking for engineers, with previous experience working for China's three tech giants--Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent--to fill its "first core team in China."
The company offered successful applicants with salaries that included stock in Snap as an incentive. The company is estimated to be worth about $20 billion to $25 billion, based on documents filed for its initial public offering last month.
The report added that employees at the Shenzhen office have a chance to transfer to the company's U.S. team.
Industry experts said that Snapchat's new office would provide the company with ideas into China's fast-growing tech industry.
"Understanding what Alibaba, WeChat, Baidu, Netease and smaller players in China are up to is helpful to keep up with local trends that . . . can influence the global market," Duncan Clark, founder of Beijing-based consulting firm BDA, said.
Clark added that although the Chinese people may not use the platform, they can advertise on Snap, which is an opportunity for the U.S. company to earn money.
"Chinese companies seeking to advertise or expand overseas are a source of potential revenues for U.S. players, even if they're blocked in China," Clark said. "We've seen that with Facebook."
Some Chinese tech companies were also interested in Snap's efforts as Alibaba invested $200 million in the company last year, while Tencent also reportedly invested in the company in 2013.
