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What's the point of announcing your candidate cities? Seems like it's only there so that the two or three cities they're really considering have to throw loads

What's the point of announcing your candidate cities? Seems like it's only there so that the two or three cities they're really considering have to throw loads of tax breaks at them.

pyrophane 9y ago
That is probably the entire point of making it a competition. Make the cities compete against one another. Perhaps once a city is a finalist it’s leaders get together and say “we’ve made it this far. What can we do to close the deal?”
rplnt 9y ago
Well, yes. Your answer to your question is correct I think, and a good reason to do it this way.
EADGBE 9y ago
Probably a "Dear John" letter.
crispyambulance 9y ago
So the leadership in all the cities falls over themselves to bend over the most for Amazon? Amazon will play them off each other use the offers to leverage the city or cities they "really" want. I think folks are expecting too much from Amazon. The cities are hoping for an influx of taxpayers with big incomes, but what will really happen is that Amazon will simply build a campus, the bulk of the "tech workers" will live in a wide swath of exburbs around the city. The commuters will stress the transportation infrastructure of the city and the "tax breaks" will greatly limit the actual benefits the cities see. Of course even that is contingent on the whims of Amazon. They're soliciting solemn proposals that fork over a lot of benefits and promises. Whereas on the Amazon side, they could change their minds before even building the facility-- or just build a much smaller facility, or build several much much smaller facilities in several cities, all of which leverage the "highest bidder" benefits. I don't believe them and I don't believe the "50000" jobs number. It is too round a number that seems like it was dreamed up by a PR goon. And what is the point of an HQ2 anyway? Isn't ONE HQ enough? How many HQ's does a company need in one country?
smileysteve 9y ago
I theorize that Bezos is using this as a way to make cities compete on infrastructure and states to not pass "religious liberty" bills.

What's the point of announcing your candidate cities? Seems like it's only there so that the two or three cities they're really considering have to throw loads of tax breaks at them.

pyrophane 9y ago

That is probably the entire point of making it a competition. Make the cities compete against one another. Perhaps once a city is a finalist it’s leaders get together and say “we’ve made it this far. What can we do to close the deal?”

rplnt 9y ago

Well, yes. Your answer to your question is correct I think, and a good reason to do it this way.

EADGBE 9y ago

Probably a "Dear John" letter.

crispyambulance 9y ago

So the leadership in all the cities falls over themselves to bend over the most for Amazon? Amazon will play them off each other use the offers to leverage the city or cities they "really" want. I think folks are expecting too much from Amazon. The cities are hoping for an influx of taxpayers with big incomes, but what will really happen is that Amazon will simply build a campus, the bulk of the "tech workers" will live in a wide swath of exburbs around the city. The commuters will stress the transportation infrastructure of the city and the "tax breaks" will greatly limit the actual benefits the cities see. Of course even that is contingent on the whims of Amazon. They're soliciting solemn proposals that fork over a lot of benefits and promises. Whereas on the Amazon side, they could change their minds before even building the facility-- or just build a much smaller facility, or build several much much smaller facilities in several cities, all of which leverage the "highest bidder" benefits. I don't believe them and I don't believe the "50000" jobs number. It is too round a number that seems like it was dreamed up by a PR goon. And what is the point of an HQ2 anyway? Isn't ONE HQ enough? How many HQ's does a company need in one country?

smileysteve 9y ago

I theorize that Bezos is using this as a way to make cities compete on infrastructure and states to not pass "religious liberty" bills.