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Following backlash, Amazon might back out of New York-based HQ 2 plans
Amazon is said to be having second thoughts about its plan to set up a second headquarters in New York City following significant pushback from politicians and residents. Executives have considered alternative options, the Washington Post reports.
Amazon's two new headquarters will only be half-full of tech workers
In total, Amazon has promised to bring roughly 50,000 jobs to its two new headquarters in New York and Virginia. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, though, only half of those jobs -- about 12,500 at each campus -- will be the sort of tech-heavy roles you'd expect from an e-commerce titan with significant investments in consumer hardware, cloud services and AI. The remaining jobs fall into the include the usual corporate buckets, like HR, finance, marketing and legal, as well as administrative, custodial and support services.
Why are Long Island City residents upset about Amazon HQ2?
When Amazon announced it would build its secondary headquarters in Long Island City, NY, the benefits seemed clear. Amazon will be able to more easily tap into the country's media capital; The campus will be easily accessible by three major airports. Oh, and New York's state government will give the company over $1.5 billion in grants and tax incentives to set up shop in Long Island City, Queens. While that's not the most lucrative deal state governments have offered Amazon, it certainly didn't hurt. For Amazon, the move into New York is smart business.
