The Amazon HQ2 conundrum

What should we make of the decision to build new headquarters in New York and D.C.?

Protesters.
(Image credit: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

The smartest insight and analysis, from all perspectives, rounded up from around the web:

"The most exciting business news story of 2018 ended with a whimper," said Matthew Yglesias at Vox. Amazon's much publicized, yearlong quest for a second headquarters came to a close this week. After a frenzied rivalry that started with 238 contenders, Amazon split its HQ2 between two locations, going with the least surprising choices: New York City and a suburb of Washington, D.C. Locating in places with a large pool of well-educated white-collar workers makes sense for Amazon, but it doesn't do much for the sites Amazon picked. Already-rich cities are "getting richer while their low-income residents actually get poorer," as housing becomes even less affordable and transportation is overburdened. Amazon could have gone to a place where economic opportunities are urgently needed. Now the company's whole search looks like a publicity stunt designed to "entice cities and states to put forward ultra-generous benefits packages" — in exchange for offices that will probably underdeliver on jobs and other economic benefits.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us