Shareholders Approve, but Uncertainty Over Silicon Valley Offices Remains

This week, Nokia moved closer to finalizing its acquisition of Infinera. Infinera shareholders approved the merger with the Finnish telecom giant, but the future of the companies' Silicon Valley offices—Infinera’s San Jose headquarters and Nokia’s Sunnyvale office—remains uncertain.

The deal, which merges Infinera’s cutting-edge optical networking technology with Nokia’s established telecom operations, is expected to close in the first half of 2025. However, Nokia has yet to confirm whether Infinera will continue operating as an independent unit or be fully integrated into Nokia’s broader organization. This ambiguity extends to their respective San Francisco Bay Area offices, about 10 miles apart.

Infinera’s headquarters on Innovation Drive in North San Jose hosts roughly 2,000 employees, making it a sizable hub for its global operations. The facility is a central hub for research, development, and business operations. Just a short drive away, Nokia’s office in Sunnyvale has a smaller footprint, with around 500 employees.

In an email, Nokia’s press department in Finland addressed the merger's overall progress but avoided specific questions about local operations.

“We are hopeful that the transaction will close in the first half of 2025, and we continue to see a significant opportunity in merging to improve scale and profitability. The combined business will accelerate the development of new products and solutions to benefit customers.”

In other words, it remains unclear if Infinera’s and Nokia’s Bay Area employees will see significant changes.