Amazon's cynical search for a new headquarters

It makes sense for Amazon. It makes sense for their metropolitan suitors. But for the rest of us ...

Amazon's Seattle expansion.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Amazon is branching out. The digital commerce powerhouse is embarking on an enormous expansion, with plans to open a second headquarters somewhere in North America.

Amazon released a detailed explanation of what it's looking for and how states and cities can submit their bids to be the next Seattle. The list is long and exacting: a population of at least one million, access to airports, good mass transit, encouraging job growth, a well-educated labor force, nearby universities, and available land for the new corporate campus. And of course, if a city wants to throw in land for free or relocation subsidies or tax breaks to sweeten the pot, by all means include those in the bids too.

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Jeff Spross

Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.