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I can't even try and take an article like this seriously. I understand it says in the article that Jeff Bezos owns the WaPo, but the way it's written sounds lik

I can't even try and take an article like this seriously. I understand it says in the article that Jeff Bezos owns the WaPo, but the way it's written sounds like Amazon trying to make a threat. Just look at the way the article starts off. > Amazon.com is reconsidering its plan to bring 25,000 jobs to a new campus in New York City following a wave of opposition from local politicians, according to two people familiar with the company's thinking. Amazon isn't considering bringing 25,000 jobs to NYC out of the goodness in their heart. It's a business play where they are doing what they think is most profitable for them. They want to be in NYC because it's the largest market in the US. I think their plan all along was to come to NYC. They just thought they could stage this elaborate "pick my city" nonsense and get a bunch of tax breaks. This article just sounds like them whining that people caught on.

teh_infallible 8y ago
I also like how all opposition is attributed to “politicians,” as if the public were begging for Amazon to come to New York.
- throwawaysea 8y ago
  Per this poll from 2 days ago, 69% of the public approves of HQ2 coming to NY, with support across all demographic groups. https://harrisx.com/2019/02/new-poll-shows-overwhelming-support-among-new-yorkers-and-queens-residents-for-amazons-new-headquarters/ https://harrisx.com/2019/02/new-poll-shows-overwhelming-supp... ------ Other key findings from the poll include: 85% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will create good jobs for New Yorkers and Queens residents 77% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will improve the economy of New York City 70% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will raise New York City property values 68% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will help make New York City an East Coast tech hub 58% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will raise the tax revenues New York needs for education, transportation, and other vital services 55% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will create new opportunities for local and small businesses
  - ggggtez 8y ago
    >commissioned by Amazon This is not helping your case. The point the parent poster is making is that the WaPo is funded by Amazon money. Citing another Amazon funded source doesn't add any credibility.
    - throwawaysea 8y ago
      Sure, but HarrisX is well-known. Their full data is available there for download. I don't think it should be written off just because it was commissioned by Amazon.
- zjaffee 8y ago
  Because it is, these same politicians are the ones who created the tax breaks that amazon later decided to take advantage of. These are also the same politicians that in the past year designated the same area Amazon is going to be located in as an opportunity zone. There is a desperation from NYC urban planners for LIC to be the backbone of future growth for the city, people are only upset about this because it's tied to the big name rather than the thousands of other small actions that have been done to try and bring life to LIC.
specialp 8y ago
Exactly. The whole HQ2 Willy Wonka show was never going to move to some area that really really needed it. NYC is currently a boom town, and I as a NYer am disappointed that we gave them such a huge amount of tax breaks. I support NY perhaps lifting some of its bureaucracy to make such a large move here possible, but do not support giving Amazon money. Amazon needs NYC because it has a metro area of 20 million people with more developers than Silicon Valley, and also many other skilled people in management and business. The days of someone moving to a company town to work for them are over as you have seen with GE moving to Boston and other corporate moves. Nobody is going to move to a small city to work for Amazon.
- Alex3917 8y ago
  > NYC is currently a boom town, and I as a NYer am disappointed that we gave them such a huge amount of tax breaks. If they want to put their HQ somewhere that doesn't have enough schools and public transportation to support it, why shouldn't they get a tax credit for spending money to improve the local infrastructure? The reason it's needed in the first place is that the local government can't be trusted to actually allocate public resources in a fair way.
  - untog 8y ago
    Local government can't be trusted to allocate public resources in a fair way... so we defer that to a private company? That doesn't seem too smart. Where's the guarantee (or even suggestion) that Amazon would use their tax break to improve local infrastructure?
    - sieabahlpark 8y ago
      If you can't get your own employees to your office to work then you have a big issue operating.
      - untog 8y ago
        Yeah, and if you're anything like a Silicon Valley giant you clog up the roads with private buses to ship your employees around, community be damned.
perseusprime11 8y ago
Bezos is totally using WaPO for his agenda!
DaniloDias 8y ago
I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole National Enquirer event that was the straw that broke the camels back. Between AOC, all of these protests and then this insane blackmail event, Amazon leadership may have achieved “Fuck NYC” levels of agitation.
- DaniloDias 8y ago
  https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-196 https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-andrew-m...
Confiks 8y ago
> I can't even try and take an article like this seriously (...) [which sounds like a threat] You make quite serious accusations en passant without much basis, other than that you find the tone of the article to be serving as a threat. I wouldn't say I'm very comfortable with the article, but I'd think members of the editor staff – which by design should be shielded somewhat from the influence of their owner – would have a hard time themselves to figure out which tone to cling to. The quote you included seems very factual otherwise.
jpatokal 8y ago
Actually, this article sounds like a negotiating ploy to extract even better terms. "Give us more discounts or we won't come!"
deusofnull 8y ago
No, I think thats the situation. NYC wised up to the fact that Amazon wants to be in NYC more than NYC needs 25,000 jobs. Sure there are benefits to having Amazon in NYC for NYC, but not if its going to be net negative fiscally on the city, and not if it means they have to sell out unions. At the end of the day, our reps job is to negotiate on our behalf. That said, we all know the mass of resources that Amazon can throw around. It would frankly be irresponsible government to preemptively compromise, or not seek the absolute best deal for their constituents.

teh_infallible 8y ago

I also like how all opposition is attributed to “politicians,” as if the public were begging for Amazon to come to New York.

throwawaysea 8y ago
Per this poll from 2 days ago, 69% of the public approves of HQ2 coming to NY, with support across all demographic groups. https://harrisx.com/2019/02/new-poll-shows-overwhelming-support-among-new-yorkers-and-queens-residents-for-amazons-new-headquarters/ https://harrisx.com/2019/02/new-poll-shows-overwhelming-supp... ------ Other key findings from the poll include: 85% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will create good jobs for New Yorkers and Queens residents 77% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will improve the economy of New York City 70% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will raise New York City property values 68% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will help make New York City an East Coast tech hub 58% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will raise the tax revenues New York needs for education, transportation, and other vital services 55% of New York voters believe that its very or somewhat likely that Amazon’s HQ2 will create new opportunities for local and small businesses
- ggggtez 8y ago
  >commissioned by Amazon This is not helping your case. The point the parent poster is making is that the WaPo is funded by Amazon money. Citing another Amazon funded source doesn't add any credibility.
  - throwawaysea 8y ago
    Sure, but HarrisX is well-known. Their full data is available there for download. I don't think it should be written off just because it was commissioned by Amazon.
zjaffee 8y ago
Because it is, these same politicians are the ones who created the tax breaks that amazon later decided to take advantage of. These are also the same politicians that in the past year designated the same area Amazon is going to be located in as an opportunity zone. There is a desperation from NYC urban planners for LIC to be the backbone of future growth for the city, people are only upset about this because it's tied to the big name rather than the thousands of other small actions that have been done to try and bring life to LIC.

specialp 8y ago

Exactly. The whole HQ2 Willy Wonka show was never going to move to some area that really really needed it. NYC is currently a boom town, and I as a NYer am disappointed that we gave them such a huge amount of tax breaks. I support NY perhaps lifting some of its bureaucracy to make such a large move here possible, but do not support giving Amazon money. Amazon needs NYC because it has a metro area of 20 million people with more developers than Silicon Valley, and also many other skilled people in management and business. The days of someone moving to a company town to work for them are over as you have seen with GE moving to Boston and other corporate moves. Nobody is going to move to a small city to work for Amazon.

Alex3917 8y ago
> NYC is currently a boom town, and I as a NYer am disappointed that we gave them such a huge amount of tax breaks. If they want to put their HQ somewhere that doesn't have enough schools and public transportation to support it, why shouldn't they get a tax credit for spending money to improve the local infrastructure? The reason it's needed in the first place is that the local government can't be trusted to actually allocate public resources in a fair way.
- untog 8y ago
  Local government can't be trusted to allocate public resources in a fair way... so we defer that to a private company? That doesn't seem too smart. Where's the guarantee (or even suggestion) that Amazon would use their tax break to improve local infrastructure?
  - sieabahlpark 8y ago
    If you can't get your own employees to your office to work then you have a big issue operating.
    - untog 8y ago
      Yeah, and if you're anything like a Silicon Valley giant you clog up the roads with private buses to ship your employees around, community be damned.

perseusprime11 8y ago

Bezos is totally using WaPO for his agenda!

DaniloDias 8y ago

I wouldn’t be surprised if this whole National Enquirer event that was the straw that broke the camels back. Between AOC, all of these protests and then this insane blackmail event, Amazon leadership may have achieved “Fuck NYC” levels of agitation.

DaniloDias 8y ago
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-196 https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/statement-governor-andrew-m...

Confiks 8y ago

> I can't even try and take an article like this seriously (...) [which sounds like a threat] You make quite serious accusations en passant without much basis, other than that you find the tone of the article to be serving as a threat. I wouldn't say I'm very comfortable with the article, but I'd think members of the editor staff – which by design should be shielded somewhat from the influence of their owner – would have a hard time themselves to figure out which tone to cling to. The quote you included seems very factual otherwise.

jpatokal 8y ago

Actually, this article sounds like a negotiating ploy to extract even better terms. "Give us more discounts or we won't come!"

deusofnull 8y ago

No, I think thats the situation. NYC wised up to the fact that Amazon wants to be in NYC more than NYC needs 25,000 jobs. Sure there are benefits to having Amazon in NYC for NYC, but not if its going to be net negative fiscally on the city, and not if it means they have to sell out unions. At the end of the day, our reps job is to negotiate on our behalf. That said, we all know the mass of resources that Amazon can throw around. It would frankly be irresponsible government to preemptively compromise, or not seek the absolute best deal for their constituents.