BIG Amazon plans
Jeff wants 2nd HQ
Let the tax-rebate contest begin!
Jeff Bezos’ Amazon shook statehouses coast to coast on Thursday when his e-commerce giant said it was searching for a site on which to build a second headquarters.
The building, which Amazon called HQ2, could cost $5 billion to build and employ 50,000 people, the company said.
The Seattle behemoth is currently asking state and local governments to make their best pitch for what is likely to become a highly prized — and bitterly fought for — trophy property that can turn around a city, or put one on the map.
Amazon is one of the largest employers in the Emerald City — and is among its biggest land owners. The e-tailer will soon own 10 million square feet of office space, more than 15 percent of the Pacific Northwest city’s inventory.
“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters,” said Bezos, Amazon’s founder and chief executive. “Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs.”
Amazon, in a statement, said it is looking for a metropolitan area with more than 1 million people that is stable and business-friendly and will appeal to the top tech talent.
The announcement sparked an almost instant contest.
Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver and Dallas have already showed interest.
The announcement is the latest move made by the fastexpanding Amazon. Last week, it finalized its takeover of Whole Foods and this week announced the opening of its first massive New York City warehouse.
News of HQ2 is sure to put President Trump into an awkward situation, as the commander in chief has not been shy about bashing Amazon. He has railed against The Washington Post, which Bezos owns, and has been critical of the billionaire businessman.
“The# Amazon WashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!,” the president tweeted in June.
Bezos might relish muting the president’s attacks now that cities are competing for Amazon to bring tens of thousands of jobs.
The e-commerce company recently moved into a new 500-foot-tall office tower in Seattle, complete with 100foot-tall orbs — called biospheres — which will host more than 300 plant species from around the world when they open in 2018.