# Amazon HQ2 Deadline Tonight **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 20, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374 "2017-10-20T17:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/121 "2018-11-10T14:39:51Z")
Yes, and _no one else_ thought that New York and Washington DC were the obvious locations. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/122 "2018-11-10T17:56:56Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Slashdot has a link to this story: > > [Amazon’s HQ2 was a con, not a contest.](https://www.recode.net/2018/11/9/18077342/amazon-hq2-headquarters-jeff-bezos-dc-ny-virginia-long-island-kara-swisher-scott-galloway) > > In short: the whole “searching for a location for HQ2” was a game to get concessions for the two locations already chosen. Bezos already has homes near the two “winners” (plus near HQ1): “… and the average distance from those three homes to a headquarters is 6.4 miles.” > > And apparently no one here speculated along these lines. > > It’s very sad to see companies making decisions based on what’s convenient for the CEO. E.g., Boeing several years ago moved its HQ from Seattle to Chicago because that’s where the new CEO lived. So a large number of execs either had to move or quit. Egad, what a complete waste. ‘Rich people care primarily about enriching rich people; film at 11.’ ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/123 "2018-11-10T19:00:32Z")
On public radio the other day, someone pointed out the oddity that all of these big-city mayors, many of whom are Democrats who talk about the importance of supporting the underclass, were so willing to throw billions of dollars at a trillion-dollar company run by the richest man in the world. Sure, because most of them didn’t win the competition they didn’t actually pay out those billions in incentives, but they did expend millions in preparing these bids. (Similarly, cities give millions in incentives and improvements to attract sports teams, which are mostly owned by billionaires.) It was also pointed out that the proposals gave Amazon all sorts of data that will be useful to them as they decide where to locate distribution centers, offices and other locations. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/124 "2018-11-10T20:58:23Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Wait, what? > > Posts 9, 31, 35, 37, 59, and 87 have speculated and/or stated that this is one big-assed con. Who was that erudite sage who wrote those oh-so-prescient posts? 😛 > > I also note the same guy picked DC/NYC as his #1 and #2 most likely locations. Oh, so full of wisdom was he! 😉 Or, to put it differently: Wait, what? [Post 9?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20551921&postcount=9). All except one mentioned posts are general comments about a reduced list, etc. The only really relevant one “con”-wise is [31](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20558935&postcount=31). Basically, you have to put together several posts to “produce” a conclusion similar to the linked to article. Similar, as in “not nearly as detailed.” In terms of individual posts, I stand by my statement _very strongly_. As to multiple posts by someone, who on Earth has time for that kind of analysis??? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/125 "2018-11-10T21:14:44Z")
To quote you… > [@](#): > > In short: the whole “searching for a location for HQ2” was a game to get concessions for the two locations already chosen. Bezos already has homes near the two “winners” (plus near HQ1): “… and the average distance from those three homes to a headquarters is 6.4 miles.” > > And apparently no one here speculated along these lines. Bezos’ role: > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Dewey Finn > > I think you’re somewhat mistaken. First Amazon isn’t “leaving” Seattle; they’ll still have 50,000 or so employees there. Second, they’re not looking for “exposure”, as I think most people have already heard of the company, which is, I think, one of the top five most valuable companies in the world, while the CEO is the richest man in the world. > [@JohnT](#): > > … and was Time Mags man of the year for 1999. > > I mean, really, there’s only one vote that matters in this and that’s Bezos’s. And the best way to figure this out is to ask yourself “If I was the richest man in the world who owned a company in Seattle WA and wanted a 2nd headquarters in the same country (which few other companies have, but whatevs)… I also own the Washington Post and am a bete noir of Donald Two-Scoops Trump… where would I want this 2nd HQ?” > > DC/VA or NYC. They’re the only options which make sense. The idea that this was all a con: > [@Jophiel](#): > > [San Antonio sorta did that](https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2017/10/12/san-antonio-drops-from-race-to-become-amazons-second-headquarters). The mayor sent an [open letter](http://www.mysanantonio.com/file/247/8/2478-Wolff%20Nirenberg%20letter.pdf) saying that giving away the farm wasn’t their style and, while San Antonio would be a great place for Amazon, they weren’t going to beg for it. > [@JohnT](#): > > “Given this, it’s hard to imagine that a forward-thinking company like Amazon hasn’t already picked its preferred location. And, if that’s the case, then this public process is, intentionally or not, creating a bidding war among states and cities.” > > A little weasely with the “intentionally or not” (of course it was intentional, Ron (Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio)), but he has a point: Amazon likely is 95% confident where they are placing this thing and the entire public bidding “process” is a shameless ploy by the company to wrest even more money from the citizens. So, yeah. While we didn’t measure the driving distance from Bezos’ property to the three HQ’s, the idea that this was a con job designed to get information and money so Bezos could move east _and_ improve the company’s negotiating position was floated in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/126 "2018-11-13T02:59:35Z")
And it’s New York and DC that are the winners! > **[Amazon picks New York City, Northern Virginia for new headquarters: report](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-picks-new-york-city-northern-virginia-for-new-headquarters-report-2018-11-12?mod=bnbh)** > > Amazon.com Inc. undefined has chosen New York City and Northern Virginia to be the locations of the company's new satellite offices, the Wall Street Journal... Since I plan to move to the DC area in 2019, I’m glad for 25,000 new jobs! ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/127 "2018-11-13T03:42:52Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > And it’s New York and DC that are the winners! > > [Amazon picks New York City, Northern Virginia for new headquarters: report - MarketWatch](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-picks-new-york-city-northern-virginia-for-new-headquarters-report-2018-11-12?mod=bnbh) > > Since I plan to move to the DC area in 2019, I’m glad for 25,000 new jobs! But you can only hold about 5-6 of those at once! ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/128 "2018-11-13T06:17:50Z")
At least the these burgeoning metropolises are such attractive places to open the new regional offices that Amazon won’t even have to be given any tax breaks to do it. (LOL.) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/129 "2019-02-14T18:24:18Z")
Updating this thread: > [@](#): > > Amazon is canceling its plans to build a 25,000 person office in New York City in an extraordinary twist to the “HQ2” story that has dominated the news for more than a year. > > The company announced the deal was off Thursday, blaming “a number of state and local politicians” who vowed to fight the deal. Elected officials and community leaders in New York have been mounting an opposition effort to stop the project, taking particular issue with the $3 billion government incentives Amazon was eligible for… > > Amazon does not plan to re-open its HQ2 search, a year-long competition between cities eager to host the Seattle tech giant’s second headquarters. Instead Amazon “will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada,” according to the statement. > **[In stunning reversal, Amazon drops plans for HQ2 in New York City in the face...](https://www.geekwire.com/2019/amazon-pulls-new-york-hq2-amid-growing-backlash/)** > > Amazon is canceling its plans to build a 25,000 person office in New York City in an extraordinary twist to the "HQ2" story that has dominated the news for more than a year. The company announced the deal was off Thursday, blaming "a number of state... ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/130 "2019-02-15T02:58:30Z")
Well, ain’t that a surprise ending? All that fire and fury signifying nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/131 "2019-02-15T03:05:41Z")
I’m still waiting to find out if I should’ve sold my townhouse that’s about 5 miles from there. Mind you, I already did sell it. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/132 "2019-02-15T03:14:37Z")
A year to make a decision; three months to change their mind. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374/133 "2019-02-15T04:39:15Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > If I was capable of doing cartwheels, I’d be cartwheeling down the street right now. Amazon choosing Long Island City for their HQ has been a fantasy of mine. And I thought it was a complete and total longshot until this morning. > > Why? Because I own a condo in Long Island City. And I’m retiring in 2-4 years, depending on how long I can keep my business profitable. I haven’t decided whether to sell the place outright or renovate it and sublet for a few years first while the value increases. But it looks like the value of my largest fiscal asset is going to increase greatly soon. > > Assuming this rumor is true. I sort of feel like I just won the lottery. Not the big jackpot, but a sizable sum. I’m so sorry. Hey, you still have PS1! (The Bruce Nauman show isn’t for everyone, but two months later my 8-year-old is still saying “I suck. You suck. We all suck. This sucks!”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-hq2-deadline-tonight/799374.md?page=6)