Under Scrutiny, Amazon Bows out of New York

Responding to a growing backlash, Amazon is officially abandoning its plans to build a new base of operations in New York; the company had aimed to split its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2, between New York and Northern Virginia. Amazon said it wouldn’t be looking for an alternative location for the now-abandoned New York campus, but would proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville. Amazon had faced scrutiny for receiving more than $3 billion in tax and other incentives to put down roots in New York, and was heavily courted by state officials while it went through a public application process for the HQ2 location. However, the deal was opposed by a number of local politicians and high-profile progressive Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez. The local politicians opposed the move on the grounds that the state should not be handing tax breaks to one of the world’s largest corporations.