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Doubt it was a factor with Bezos. The guy is rich enough to live anywhere, and has houses everywhere, as you also observed. Somehow the office didn't land in B

Doubt it was a factor with Bezos. The guy is rich enough to live anywhere, and has houses everywhere, as you also observed. Somehow the office didn't land in Beverly Hills or the Texas ranch. I expect the fact that he already has homes in NYC and DC is related to the fact they are in fact important locations for his business.

jeremyis 8y ago
I think it’s where he wants to spend time
wpietri 8y ago
Most CEOs are rich enough to move. But they are also powerful enough to get the company to move to a location more convenient or appealing to them.
- dunpeal 8y ago
  Sure, but he has lived in Seattle for a long time, what makes you think he wants to move to NYC? The office in NYC is going to be nothing more than a big satellite office compared to the huge HQ in Seattle, so it's not like he's actually moving Amazon's HQ and himself to NYC. In fact I doubt he'd spend that much time there. Given his duties, he'll probably be in Seattle most of the time. Also, I very much doubt the office in DC is there because Bezos is just dying to spend more time in DC ;-)
  - wpietri 8y ago
    I never said he wanted to move. And I agree he'll probably spend less time at the other offices. But that still doesn't mean it's a pure coincidence that the two new offices are exactly in locations which he liked enough to buy homes. If the guy really didn't like DC, I'm thinking he wouldn't have bought a $23m home there. As you say, he's rich enough he can do what he wants.
CydeWeys 8y ago
The point isn't that he can't afford houses anywhere (obviously he can), it's that the places he already owns houses in are places he enjoys spending his time in. So he'd want to locate additional offices in those places. He's probably not all that interested in spending time in, e.g., Dallas.
- thebradbain 8y ago
  It seems like I'm the resident Dallas apologist on these Amazon pieces, but Bezos is no stranger to Dallas. He has spoken fondly of Dallas many a time, just had the honor of speaking at SMU's Business Conference and offered personal anecdotes of why he likes Dallas, and, as Dallas Morning News has reported by tracking his flight records, been to Dallas many a time this year alone. Sure, maybe he doesn't own property in Dallas, but it also seems like it's more of a place he'd like to spend time in over Austin, or Atlanta, or Pittsburgh, or a whole bunch of other cities. The fact that Amazon was in late stage talks with Dallas also makes me think Dallas will be one of the cities to get "other major Amazon facilities as well" as this WSJ article mentions.
  - CydeWeys 8y ago
    s/Dallas/Detroit/ then.
  - bilbo0s 8y ago
    Not to be "that guy", but I really do wonder whether there even were any serious "late stage" talks with any of these other cities? NYC is so obviously superior to every other location that you have to wonder whether there was any serious chance of anyone else actually getting the HQ2 at all? I mean, sure, DC can play both the government card, and the "Bezos loves us" card. But everyone else has no credible argument to put forth that would entice Amazon to abandon the opportunity that is NYC. (In the end, even DC didn't have a good enough argument. After all, they still kept half the jobs in NYC.)
    - dunpeal 8y ago
      Texas has taxes a lot lower than NYC. Dallas is far cheaper to live in, too. That's quite a difference. Even if Amazon gets tax breaks, its employees will not. Dallas vs NYC is lowest vs highest income taxes in the nation.
code_duck 8y ago
“Somehow” is probably related to how Texas or Beverly Hills wouldn’t be very effectively strategic.

jeremyis 8y ago

I think it’s where he wants to spend time

wpietri 8y ago

Most CEOs are rich enough to move. But they are also powerful enough to get the company to move to a location more convenient or appealing to them.

dunpeal 8y ago
Sure, but he has lived in Seattle for a long time, what makes you think he wants to move to NYC? The office in NYC is going to be nothing more than a big satellite office compared to the huge HQ in Seattle, so it's not like he's actually moving Amazon's HQ and himself to NYC. In fact I doubt he'd spend that much time there. Given his duties, he'll probably be in Seattle most of the time. Also, I very much doubt the office in DC is there because Bezos is just dying to spend more time in DC ;-)
- wpietri 8y ago
  I never said he wanted to move. And I agree he'll probably spend less time at the other offices. But that still doesn't mean it's a pure coincidence that the two new offices are exactly in locations which he liked enough to buy homes. If the guy really didn't like DC, I'm thinking he wouldn't have bought a $23m home there. As you say, he's rich enough he can do what he wants.

CydeWeys 8y ago

The point isn't that he can't afford houses anywhere (obviously he can), it's that the places he already owns houses in are places he enjoys spending his time in. So he'd want to locate additional offices in those places. He's probably not all that interested in spending time in, e.g., Dallas.

thebradbain 8y ago
It seems like I'm the resident Dallas apologist on these Amazon pieces, but Bezos is no stranger to Dallas. He has spoken fondly of Dallas many a time, just had the honor of speaking at SMU's Business Conference and offered personal anecdotes of why he likes Dallas, and, as Dallas Morning News has reported by tracking his flight records, been to Dallas many a time this year alone. Sure, maybe he doesn't own property in Dallas, but it also seems like it's more of a place he'd like to spend time in over Austin, or Atlanta, or Pittsburgh, or a whole bunch of other cities. The fact that Amazon was in late stage talks with Dallas also makes me think Dallas will be one of the cities to get "other major Amazon facilities as well" as this WSJ article mentions.
- CydeWeys 8y ago
  s/Dallas/Detroit/ then.
- bilbo0s 8y ago
  Not to be "that guy", but I really do wonder whether there even were any serious "late stage" talks with any of these other cities? NYC is so obviously superior to every other location that you have to wonder whether there was any serious chance of anyone else actually getting the HQ2 at all? I mean, sure, DC can play both the government card, and the "Bezos loves us" card. But everyone else has no credible argument to put forth that would entice Amazon to abandon the opportunity that is NYC. (In the end, even DC didn't have a good enough argument. After all, they still kept half the jobs in NYC.)
  - dunpeal 8y ago
    Texas has taxes a lot lower than NYC. Dallas is far cheaper to live in, too. That's quite a difference. Even if Amazon gets tax breaks, its employees will not. Dallas vs NYC is lowest vs highest income taxes in the nation.

code_duck 8y ago

“Somehow” is probably related to how Texas or Beverly Hills wouldn’t be very effectively strategic.