Samsung Moves US Headquarters to Plano, Texas: Second Relocation in Under a Year

Samsung Electronics America will relocate its US headquarters from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, to Plano, Texas, by the end of 2026 — the second time in less than a year the South Korean electronics giant has uprooted its American nerve center. The company notified employees of the decision on May 29 and issued an official statement on June 1, with a broader announcement including layoff details expected June 5. About 1,000 workers at the Englewood Cliffs campus face a choice: follow the company to Texas or lose their jobs.

The relocation lands just eight months after Samsung hosted a grand opening at its new Englewood Cliffs campus on September 22, 2025 — a celebration attended by state and local officials who hailed the investment as a sign of Samsung's commitment to New Jersey. That commitment lasted less time than most office leases.

Samsung Moves to Where Its Chips Are

The strategic logic behind the move is consolidation. Plano already hosts Samsung's US mobile and network business office, giving the company an established campus with more than 1,000 existing regional employees. By relocating corporate headquarters there, Samsung places its executive leadership physically alongside its two largest US manufacturing investments: the existing semiconductor fab in Austin, which the company has operated since 1996, and the advanced foundry in Taylor, Texas, which is on track to begin operations by the end of 2026.

The Taylor facility represents one of the largest semiconductor manufacturing projects currently underway in the United States. Originally announced with a $17 billion price tag in November 2021, the investment has since expanded to approximately $37 billion. Samsung secured a confirmed $16.5 billion, multi-year contract with Tesla in July 2025 to manufacture Tesla's AI6 automotive chips at Taylor, a deal that cemented the facility's commercial viability.

"We are relocating our US headquarters from New Jersey to our existing campus in Plano, Texas, building on our 30-year presence in the state," a Samsung spokesperson told NJBIZ. "Samsung Electronics America Inc. is undergoing a business transformation designed to better position our organization for long-term growth and future success."

What Happens to the Roughly 1,000 Affected Employees

Samsung told employees on June 1 they would need to indicate their relocation interest by June 12, with personalized employment information expected by June 30. Most employees at the Englewood Cliffs office are expected to be offered the chance to transfer to Plano; a smaller group will be retained in New Jersey to handle local operations. The company has not disclosed how many positions will be eliminated rather than relocated, but a broader announcement covering both relocations and layoffs is expected June 5.

Employee reports, shared with industry outlet Appliance News and discussion boards, described a timeline in which New Jersey layoffs were scheduled to begin as early as June 2. Samsung has not confirmed this date. The company acknowledged the human impact in its statement: "We recognize such adjustments will have an impact on our people and we will be providing support to those affected."

For many New Jersey employees, the decision to relocate is complicated. The New York metropolitan area draws workers with family ties, spouses with established careers, and social roots that do not transplant easily. Employee forum discussions suggested that as many as 20–30 percent of affected workers might decline to relocate — a figure Samsung has neither confirmed nor denied.

New Jersey Business Groups Say Samsung Is a Warning Sign

The departure triggered immediate criticism of New Jersey's tax and regulatory environment. Michele Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, called the announcement "not surprising, but it is no less sad." Siekerka pointed to New Jersey's 11.5% corporate tax rate — the highest in the nation, confirmed by the Tax Foundation's 2026 state comparison — and noted that the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in New Jersey has declined from 22 in 2018 to 15 in 2025.

"These are the results of decades of anti-business policies in the state," Siekerka said. "These are not accidents, nor are they coincidences."

Assemblyman John Azzariti, a Republican representing the 39th District, was more pointed: "Texas didn't win Samsung by accident. They won because they have spent years creating an environment where businesses want to invest, grow and create jobs. Meanwhile, New Jersey continues to raise costs, add regulations and send the message that employers are little more than a revenue source for government."

Azzariti cited a pattern: in addition to Samsung, Mercedes-Benz USA, Honeywell, Hertz, and Sealed Air have all departed the state. The most recent high-profile departure came when ExxonMobil shareholders approved the company's redomiciliation from New Jersey to Texas on May 28, 2026 — less than a week before Samsung's announcement.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill's office declined to comment on the Samsung departure. Siekerka said there remained reason for optimism: "Gov. Sherrill has signaled the need and want to improve our business climate, to reduce costs, red tape and other permitting and regulatory burdens."

New Jersey Corporate Tax Rate vs. Texas Business Climate

New Jersey imposes a top corporate income tax rate of 11.5% — more than twice the national median of 6.5% and well above the rates in most states attracting corporate relocations. Texas, by contrast, has no traditional corporate income tax. Large businesses pay a 0.75% franchise tax, but the overall tax burden on corporations is substantially lower.

The cost differential is one reason Texas has become the destination of choice for companies leaving higher-cost states. Tesla and Oracle both relocated their headquarters to Texas earlier this decade. ExxonMobil's recent shareholder vote to move its legal domicile from New Jersey — a state where its roots trace back 144 years to Standard Oil of New Jersey — is the most dramatic illustration of how corporate calculus has shifted.

Samsung's three-decade investment in Texas makes this relocation less of a departure and more of a consolidation. The company has maintained an Austin semiconductor operation since 1996, built a sprawling North Texas presence in Plano since at least 2018, and is now betting billions on the Taylor foundry as its primary beachhead in the global advanced-chip market.

Why Is Samsung Moving Its US Headquarters to Texas?

Samsung's consolidation move has two drivers working in tandem. The first is operational: aligning corporate leadership with the company's largest US manufacturing investments — Austin, Taylor, and Plano — reduces friction in running a company whose center of gravity is already in Texas from an office building in New Jersey. The second is economic: Texas offers substantially lower operating costs, no corporate income tax, and a regulatory environment that large multinationals increasingly view as more predictable and business-friendly.

The second-move-in-under-a-year timing reflects how quickly circumstances changed. When Samsung moved from Ridgefield Park to Englewood Cliffs in 2025, it was consolidating within New Jersey. By the time the Englewood Cliffs grand opening ribbon was cut in September 2025, the strategic case for a Texas pivot — driven by the Taylor fab's commercial milestones, the Tesla deal, and the approaching end of competitive lease terms — had already solidified. The Plano move is the result of that calculus, not a sudden change of heart.

For New Jersey, the Samsung departure lands as another entry in a ledger that its own business community says is growing too long to ignore. "Every time a major employer leaves, New Jersey loses jobs, economic activity, charitable investment and prestige," Azzariti said. "The question is how many more companies have to leave before Trenton starts asking why."

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Samsung moving its US headquarters to Texas?

Samsung is consolidating its American corporate leadership in Texas to align with its largest US manufacturing investments: an established semiconductor fab in Austin, a new advanced foundry in Taylor that is scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2026, and an existing mobile and network business campus in Plano. Texas also offers substantially lower operating costs and no traditional corporate income tax compared to New Jersey's 11.5% rate, the highest in the nation.

How many employees will be affected by Samsung's move to Texas?

Approximately 1,000 employees work at Samsung's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey headquarters. Most are expected to be offered relocation to Plano, Texas, while a small group will remain in New Jersey for local operations. Samsung has not disclosed how many positions will be eliminated rather than relocated. A broader announcement covering layoffs and relocations was expected June 5, 2026, and employees were asked to indicate their relocation interest by June 12.

Is Samsung leaving New Jersey entirely?

Samsung stated it will retain a small New Jersey presence for local operations, but its US headquarters will move to Plano, Texas. The relocation is targeted for completion by the end of 2026. The move ends Samsung's tenure as a major New Jersey employer at the headquarters level — the company had operated in Ridgefield Park for more than 30 years before moving to Englewood Cliffs in 2025 and departing the state at the corporate level just months later.

What does this mean for New Jersey's business climate?

The departure adds to a trend that business groups say is accelerating. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association noted that the state's Fortune 500 company count has fallen from 22 in 2018 to 15 in 2025, citing New Jersey's 11.5% corporate tax rate — the highest in the country — and a regulatory environment that business groups describe as costly. ExxonMobil shareholders also approved the company's redomiciliation from New Jersey to Texas in late May 2026, just days before Samsung's announcement.