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“culturally, the problem was they were not equipped for people to not be excited.” — read @BradStone on Amazon HQ2, and the miscalculation of NYC politics https://t.co/wygaGH0RSH
— Sarah Frier (@sarahfrier) February 15, 2019
De Blasio jumped ship at the last moment and aligned himself with Amazon's critics, blaming the company for being unreasonable in its dealings with NYC. https://t.co/Wc4MoJHeb8
— Peter Sterne (@petersterne) February 14, 2019
But Cuomo blames the Senate Dems for scaring Amazon away. https://t.co/zGldrgare1
Organizing gets the goods. Congratulations to all who made this happen. https://t.co/szEMJZ4vTe
— Beyonce's New Best Friend (@prisonculture) February 14, 2019
Poll of New Yorkers this week on the Amazon deal: 56% support, rising to 70% of African Americans and 81% of Latinos https://t.co/ihk2OqLWYe pic.twitter.com/WDgFkZOzgf
— Tom Gara (@tomgara) February 14, 2019
The art on this @BradStone piece is the best thing on the Internet today https://t.co/HthDawEMjS pic.twitter.com/zRF9wnnlio
— Alex Fitzpatrick (@AlexJamesFitz) February 15, 2019
Seattle got tough on Amazon so Bezos looked for new supplicants. https://t.co/zSscSmCj2o pic.twitter.com/YKci2p2qPR
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) February 15, 2019
Amazon just cancelled its plans to build in NYC! Idiot local politicians had demanded Amazon unionize.
— John Stossel (@JohnStossel) February 14, 2019
Their objection to tax breaks for Amazon have more merit. On several issues, Amazon lobbies government for its own benefit: pic.twitter.com/70I3QNNI26
Just because Amazon won't come to NYC after all I hope it doesn't mean people will just neglect that Queens still needs investment, infrastructure support, and job creation opps in the esp in the tech sector
— Natt การุณรังษีวงศ์ (@nattgarun) February 14, 2019
Amazon execs realized they were staring down a decades’ long commitment to a political climate in which *everything* the company did would be scrutinized--and it bailed. Here's @jdavidgoodman and my look at WTH happened w HQ2 https://t.co/ggc6WxwR6w
— Karen Weise (@KYWeise) February 15, 2019
One more thing on Amazon and NYC. If Amazon was never going to compromise on incentives (should have, but not in its DNA: https://t.co/pm8M6GsoPY), then the timing of pullout made sense. State board approval would not come til 2020, and plans would have been in limbo until then
— Jason Del Rey (@DelRey) February 15, 2019
Amazon to New York on Valentine's Day: Let's just be friends https://t.co/pol7pSIo6P
— Nathan McDermott (@natemcdermott) February 14, 2019
The key part of the statement is this. Amazon needs to be in NYC, will continue to be in NYC, they just won't be paid in corporate welfare for it. pic.twitter.com/Nb2V8aHbYk
— David Dayen (@ddayen) February 14, 2019
“Snake Plisskin? I thought you were dead.” https://t.co/CQWzq10u6W
— Ally Marotti (@AllyMarotti) February 15, 2019
Is it bad news that Amazon has decided not to grow in Queens? As someone who was raised in Queens, I think it's not bad news. https://t.co/H6cfWdw5q9
— scripting.com (@davewiner) February 14, 2019
Another important point on this HQ2 deal and Amazon's unwillingness to stray too far from its historical playbook: timing was everythinghttps://t.co/pm8M6GsoPY pic.twitter.com/xo2DHbSRkR
— Jason Del Rey (@DelRey) February 15, 2019
The city of hustlers got hustled when the world’s richest man got the world’s greatest city to pay him to do what millions do for free: be here.
— Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) February 14, 2019
Hustle’s over.
Here was my @NewYorker essay in which @AOC made the case against Amazon’s billionaire handout. https://t.co/uxxs9vHmlD pic.twitter.com/aTqTQH7Cl8
Remember, this is not a NIMBY thing. Amazon remains absolutely free to open a headquarters in the greatest city in the world. They are choosing not to because we're refusing to bribe them to do it.
— David Klion (@DavidKlion) February 14, 2019
Not a great day for the insider real estate prospectors! https://t.co/YTLw81ijr0
— Brian Barrett (@brbarrett) February 14, 2019
good morning to Jeff Bezos as Kurt Russell In Escape From New York and no one else https://t.co/NK3oToiXHt pic.twitter.com/ceWPLrQnMi
— Christopher Mims ? (@mims) February 15, 2019
It makes very little sense that a company felt in December that it needed 25,000 new positions in a single location and, two months later, it doesn't.
— Dan Primack (@danprimack) February 14, 2019
You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) February 14, 2019
Wonderful understatement from @BradStone in this lead: "`In retrospect, the helipad was probably a bad idea." How Amazon lost New York https://t.co/27WHfW2FiT via @BW
— Robert Fenner (@Robert_Fenner) February 15, 2019
They won’t live in NY or pay taxes in NY? What are you talking about? NY just lost $25 billion in tax revenue. Do you have another plan that will create that kind of revenue to pay for our schools, roads, police and subways? https://t.co/SVobevGteY
— Andrew Ross Sorkin (@andrewrsorkin) February 14, 2019
Wow. Really surprised to see this. But as both a staunch advocate of our tech community and a person who cares deeply about what we invest in as a city, I wish this entire process had been more transparent and engaged affected communities right from the start. https://t.co/aLA2Wmv7k4
— Anil Dash ? (@anildash) February 14, 2019
hot take: Amazon should have treated HQ2 as a civic development project from the get-go and they should have chosen a second tier city in the first place https://t.co/ClbYnmhWww
— Christopher Mims ? (@mims) February 14, 2019
Amazon was not accustomed to being forced to respond publicly on its policies and operations https://t.co/6wndAB7YOi
— Daniel P. Aldrich (@DanielPAldrich) February 15, 2019
Queens just decided it does not need to fund Jeff Bezos’s hair plugs and Ferarri (Mid-life crisis).
— Scott Galloway (@profgalloway) February 14, 2019
Why I'm Leaving New York, by Jeff Bezos
— Jackson McHenry (@McHenryJD) February 14, 2019
Somebody at Amazon must've finally rode a subway
— Alex Fitzpatrick (@AlexJamesFitz) February 14, 2019
“For them to not have anticipated a political backlash to this kind of incentive package, when it sits right in the backyard of people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, just shows complete incompetence,” —@Richard_Florida https://t.co/KUDYjojAMY
— Kim-Mai Cutler (@kimmaicutler) February 15, 2019
Immunities kick in and NYC finds its testicles. This is good for NYC, and America. Billionaires should not have their hand(s) out.
— Scott Galloway (@profgalloway) February 14, 2019
Every powerful company should take lesson from Amazon in NYC: "There will be no hero's welcome for technology giants no matter where they go."https://t.co/9TdZLjSIJo
— Shira Ovide (@ShiraOvide) February 14, 2019
Great piece by @jdavidgoodman which seems to reinforce the narrative that uncertainty surrounding the @SenGianaris appointment to the PACB created great distrust & confusion within Amazon
— Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) February 15, 2019
Yup. Trying to explain how Albany works to just about anyone elicits a very similar reaction https://t.co/4MKoTMJeun
roses are red
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) February 14, 2019
violets are blue
hope you didn't buy a condo in queens
ahead of HQ2https://t.co/lt1p7gdezW
A few years ago, it would have been easy for Amazon to saunter into a place like Long Island City. What changed? https://t.co/WmAnnKeOem by @karaswisher
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) February 15, 2019
NEWS that wasn't clear in the release: Amazon will take 25K jobs that would have gone to Queens and spread them out over its other tech hubs across U.S. & Canada, including Manhattan. Still plans 25K for HQ2 in NoVa and 5K for ops center in Nashville.
— Karen Weise (@KYWeise) February 14, 2019
So many cities offered Amazon the farm and the farmer’s daughter just to get a sniff at HQ2, and they all got turned down. Was it always New York/DC or nothing? (I know there’s the Nashville thing but come on)
— Tim Carmody (@tcarmody) February 14, 2019
No wonder they took down the listings so quickly https://t.co/apA9Iusasj
— Ari Levy (@levynews) February 14, 2019
.@BradStone says Amazon's HQ2 decision-making was a string of policy fails and this point about Bezos not showing up is a good one. This after all is a guy who dressed in an Indian suit and rode on a lorry w/ a giant $2B check when his co invested in Indiahttps://t.co/2Z1LrXXuXp pic.twitter.com/bRMlSScRal
— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) February 15, 2019
This deal wasn’t a simple tax break. It was $3 BILLION dollars.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 15, 2019
When the community wanted to negotiate, Amazon said “all or nothing.” They bailed when they didn’t get 100% of what they wanted.
Google came into NYC just fine. Amazon wanted to be FoxConn:https://t.co/Ce9gVb7jg8
Most of the polling indicated NYC'ers wanted Amazon in NYC. When tax breaks were mentioned, support did fall. But even with it mentioned, support was very strong in Queens.
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) February 14, 2019
Yesterday, Amazon, Cuomo and union reps were talking about an agreement to pave the way for peace in Amazon's move to NY. "We all agreed to it, and we said the next step was to start drafting language." https://t.co/ZvheoxMj16 This morning, Amazon said they were out of NY.
— Matt Day (@mattmday) February 15, 2019
Really disappointed this wasn't posted on Medium and titled No Thank You Mr. Cuomo.https://t.co/orYTMppuSz
— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) February 14, 2019
Exclusive: @RWDSU union prez says in meeting w/ Cuomo yesterday, Amazon officials had agreed in principle to framework for potential union elections, with communication avenue for unions and no retaliation or "hostility" https://t.co/ejxcLMVXxL Says he was blindsided by pullout
— Josh Eidelson (@josheidelson) February 15, 2019
Amazon and NYC massively misread perception https://t.co/rOjGscG8ww https://t.co/vLNqogPLz0
— Albert Wenger (@albertwenger) February 15, 2019
candrew, uh.... aoumo?
— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) February 14, 2019
As they say in NYC: Meh. Amazon Isn’t Interested in Making the World a Better Place via @NYTimes https://t.co/Jvkqq8VmHV
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) February 15, 2019
‘The strange, secret beauty pageant that Amazon asked cities to participate in created a lot of bad feelings’ says Rebecca Kolins Givan, an associate professor at Rutgers. @benfoxrubin reports on the perfect storm that led to Jeff Bezos breakup with NY. https://t.co/uYnflrAZIj
— Connie Guglielmo (@techledes) February 15, 2019
And Jeff Bezos continues his Michael Corleone baptism scene... https://t.co/MpMbSYfoO3
— M.G. Siegler (@mgsiegler) February 14, 2019
We just put the goddamn dick pic extortion letter to bed, and now this?
— Tim Carmody (@tcarmody) February 14, 2019
Amazon, always dropping news on a Thursday
Our statement on Amazon’s decision to withdraw its #HQ2 from New York: pic.twitter.com/n0ehJh8NDJ
— Tech:NYC (@TechNYC) February 14, 2019
Amazon launched its HQ2 contest in one political climate and ended it in an altogether different one. It never seemed to recognize that.
— Jason Del Rey (@DelRey) February 15, 2019
And to make sense of why Amazon wasn't able or willing to compromise, you need to understand its DNA https://t.co/pm8M6GsoPY pic.twitter.com/L50Xd0zRIY
AMAZON CANCELS PLAN TO COME TO NEW YORK
— J. David Goodman (@jdavidgoodman) February 14, 2019
"After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens" - Amazon spokeswoman Jodi Seth
I was at the rally in Long Island City, Queens moments ago where city councilman Jimmy Van Bramer proudly announced his group’s victory over Amazon’s now-axed plans for HQ2. Crowd was yelling “Jimmy, WHAT ABOUT THE JOBS?” pic.twitter.com/PgmnAlmGRo
— Alex Heath (@alexeheath) February 14, 2019
Plenty of companies (even large ones) move to NYC without needing an unprecedented $3b tax giveaway that isn’t extended to other local business owners - just look at Google, for example.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2019
Deals have to be fair. This is what happens when they’re not:https://t.co/Ce9gVb7jg8
Last minute calls. On the ground organizing. A hiring plan. Hints of a union deal.
— J. David Goodman (@jdavidgoodman) February 15, 2019
In the final days before Amazon decided to cancel plans for New York, things were looking up.
Then they came crashing down.https://t.co/UtvdOkZFUC
"Amazon badly misjudged how it would be received in New York, apparently because the company has rarely ventured into such a raucous political arena as it has pursued a breakneck expansion in recent years." https://t.co/jncy3Ba3C8
— Tim Logan (@bytimlogan) February 15, 2019
I actually put the blame of Amazon leaving squarely on @NYCMayor and @NYGovCuomo . They put together a back room deal without involving local residents or local on the ground politicians. Regardless, the city will do just fine without their “second HQ”.
— Shai (@shaig) February 14, 2019
Expect blowback against Amazon, for what many will interpret as a hugely profitably company basically saying to the entire country, if you question our (secretly negotiated) taxpayer financed deals, we won’t invest in your communities.
— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) February 14, 2019
Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world. https://t.co/nyvm5vtH9k
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2019
Sorry, what is HQ2? That funny quiz app? https://t.co/PXSVc6Exv7
— Dan Frommer (@fromedome) February 14, 2019
Broken record here, but: given the stakes involved, it’s astounding how little proponents of Amazon HQ2 did to persuade skeptical New Yorkers that the project would bring broadly shared benefits to the city
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) February 14, 2019
SCOOP on the 11th hour negotiations between Amazon and union leaders aimed at keeping Amazon in NYC; one party came away hopeful that different sides had reached a deal. by @josheidelson with @dinabass https://t.co/S3HNUlesQf
— Tom Giles (@tsgiles) February 15, 2019
There are already 5,000 employees here, and they'll continue to grow the teams. I think this is overblown by both sides. NYC and Amazon's relationship will continue to grow. This take is probably right https://t.co/n9W3ez1yku
— Mike Dudas (@mdudas) February 14, 2019
alexa, close the door on your way out https://t.co/eOrcbakwEc
— David Mack (@davidmackau) February 14, 2019
Reminder that Google is buying approximately all the real estate in Manhattan south of 23rd street and it’s nbd https://t.co/w09c2CmYUg
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) February 14, 2019
This is a calculated move on Amazon's part. It paints its critics—unions, democratic lawmakers, activists—as job killers. But right there in its statement, the company admits that it's going to continue to expand in NYC even without "HQ2" #AmazonHQ2 https://t.co/aFKNV1MqJN
— Louise Matsakis (@lmatsakis) February 14, 2019
Amazon HQ2 is the most incredible fake news story of our time. First it bated all these cities to compete, then “HQ2" turned out not to be 1 magnificent campus in a city that really needs jobs but just two corporate sites in NYC and DC, and now it’s not even coming to NYC!
— Venessa Wong (@venessawwong) February 14, 2019
Here are 4 questions:
— Gabe Rivera (@gaberivera) February 15, 2019
1. Are tax incentives for a company from a city ever prudent?
2. Are tax incentives for a company from NYC ever prudent?
3. Are tax incentives for Amazon from NYC ever prudent?
4. Are tax incentives for Amazon from NYC prudent given how they were negotiated?
Amazon: "While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward" pic.twitter.com/cF88Cegihv
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) February 14, 2019
In one scenario, the city and state forewent $3 billion tax revenue from Amazon and got a headquarters with 25,000 tax paying workers. In another, now reality, the city and state forewent $3 billion in tax revenue from Amazon and did not get 25,000 tax paying workers.
— Nicholas Carlson (@nichcarlson) February 14, 2019
Yes. That $3 billion in subsidies is not being “spent elsewhere” because it doesn’t exist without the revenue and economic activity created by thousands of new jobs. https://t.co/5rCyuBjbln
— Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) February 14, 2019
2030: cities all over the globe compete and even offer money for the privilege of not hosting the next Amazon HQ or being run by Google’s Sidewalk Labs.
— Evgeny Morozov (@evgenymorozov) November 14, 2018
In interview, AMAZON policy comms chief Jodi Seth tells me Amazon pulled out of NYC because of three months of sustained opposition from @AOC, @JimmyVanBramer & other officials…
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 14, 2019
“We decided we don't want to work in this environment in the long term.” https://t.co/xOhyho13Yf
So are we back to HQ1.5?
— Jessica Lessin (@Jessicalessin) February 14, 2019
There's a lesson in Amazon's pull-out from NYC: Tech is a business, like any other, and this time the deal wasn't worth it. Why do we keep buying into the myth that these companies are interested in making the world a better place? https://t.co/gXr2tvyttp by @karaswisher
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) February 15, 2019
This kind of economic development, pitting one community against another, is one of the more sickening aspects of latter-day American capitalism. Amazon still managed to kick this abusive competition up several nauseating notches.
— Chris O'Brien (@obrien) February 14, 2019
Way to go, New York. Dumbest and most self-defeating whining ever. https://t.co/iZyES6xAUm
— Henry Blodget (@hblodget) February 14, 2019
I like that Amazon is bowing to the grammatical reality that you can't have two headquarters. https://t.co/Zb5Z4kEWep
— Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) February 14, 2019
When NYC politicians and activists started asking questions about the $3 billion in incentive loot for HQ2, Amazon decided to bail. Will now move forward with more pliant political figures in Nashville and Northern Virginia. https://t.co/sOg73VuFXP
— DHH (@dhh) February 14, 2019
good thing cuomo didn't change his name! https://t.co/XkFdYyZXNm
— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) February 14, 2019
The debate over Amazon/NYC divides the left side of my Twitter feed like nothing else in recent times. It's a fascinating window on the internal debates about economic policy confronting the Democratic Party.
— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) February 14, 2019
Amazon take: Bezos wants juristiction he can push around. He found that in Cuomo/diblasio. Locals with less to gain/more to lose wanted assurance that Amazon wasn't going to leach the area. Clearly Amazon was not willing to fight that battle. Tons of other places will capitulate
— Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) February 14, 2019
After killing Amazon's NYC HQ, not sure some progressive democrats deserve either title. This move was both anti-progress (negative for development and tech jobs) and anti-democratic (polls show 70% of NYers were in favor). Victory lap for them, not for NYC. #AmazonHQ2
— Lloyd Blankfein (@lloydblankfein) February 14, 2019
Amazon and NYC massively misread perception https://t.co/rOjGscG8ww https://t.co/vLNqogPLz0
— Albert Wenger (@albertwenger) February 15, 2019
“[The NYC-Amazon story] is all about misunderstanding where we are on the perception of tech companies and their role and responsibility with regard to the polarization of society.” - @albertwenger https://t.co/6DYn2taqI6
— Semil (@semil) February 15, 2019
This is all about misunderstanding the perception of tech companies and their role and responsibility with regard to the polarization of society. https://t.co/n1Yap6cFTT
— Michelle Lee (@mishmosh) February 15, 2019
Albert Wenger on Amazon, articulating a kind of a micro version of Minsky's Financial Instability Hypothesis https://t.co/LVpBZQQwOg pic.twitter.com/zVWs2H1yMM
— Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) February 15, 2019
A Queens apartment owner borrowed over $1 million to renovate in anticipation of @Amazon HQ2 pumping money and employees into the area. Now, he's "got to pay it back now, and without Amazon’s help, it’s going to be a tough road ahead for me,” he said. https://t.co/eGsdFqbtqo
— Sydney Maki (@symmaki) February 15, 2019
The state was subsidizing a huge company on a mission that would push longtime residents out of LIC with nothing for them. Use that money to help people, not the richest man in the world. #AmazonHQ2 https://t.co/KIj0k1txaQ
— ʟᴏᴄᴜᴛᴜꜱ ᴏꜰ ʙᴏʀɢ ™ (@WildPalmsLtd) February 15, 2019
... And that’s how they’re just a bunch of privileged folk who, despite all claims, ultimately do not understand nor care for about communities, i.e. the real people of NYC https://t.co/IkX8eObXjS
— Matthew Hawkins (@FortNinety) February 15, 2019
Amazon HQ2 defeat is a win for Queens activists but a "facepalm" for tech leaders https://t.co/mP02sAQ9n3 pic.twitter.com/8z8QUIHxmi
— The Verge (@verge) February 15, 2019
Amazon HQ2 defeat is a win for Queens activists but a "facepalm" for tech leaders https://t.co/mP02sAQ9n3 pic.twitter.com/jpsu5omQRs
— The Verge (@verge) February 14, 2019
Spent the better part of today talking to a bunch of local tech leaders who are pretty disappointed by how the Amazon deal played out. Again, I hope companies know that Queens still wants the investments, just perhaps not without their involvement https://t.co/WNFqHAGbbH
— Natt การุณรังษีวงศ์ (@nattgarun) February 14, 2019
Amazon's decision to cancel its New York City #HQ2 was a surprise... even to Amazon employees who were working on the deal. @nattgarun reports:https://t.co/3lctLrechE
— Sean Hollister (@StarFire2258) February 14, 2019
Really good @nattgarun look at the conflicting reactions among the tech community and local leaders in NYC to Amazon canceling HQ2: https://t.co/HoMzIwbG3i
— nilay patel (@reckless) February 14, 2019
As they say in NYC: Meh. Amazon Isn’t Interested in Making the World a Better Place via @NYTimes https://t.co/Jvkqq8VmHV
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) February 15, 2019
A+ Amazon Isn’t Interested in Making the World a Better Place via @NYTimes , brilliant analysis of hi-tech, by Kara Swisher. Read this, note. her comment on what has happened to San Francisco. https://t.co/qTQjZwanMq
— Edward Tufte (@EdwardTufte) February 15, 2019
Amazon Isn’t Interested in Making social good, just money https://t.co/N29yiTDgrq
— Gilles Babinet (@babgi) February 15, 2019
Amazon Isn’t Interested in Making the World a Better Place via @NYTimes. Wonderful recap of what’s happening in NYC. https://t.co/I62Yuh6Vlj
— Josh Bersin (@Josh_Bersin) February 15, 2019
“The dulcet attractions of tech have lost their charm…” https://t.co/J0sMITc9yX
— Khoi Vinh (@khoi) February 15, 2019
We may have a blackface Governor & a rapist Lieutenant Governor but also, Prime jobs.
— ⚔️ Marine ?? ONE ⚔️ (@TheReady1775) February 15, 2019
Northern Virginia Is Keeping Amazon’s 25,000 Jobs and It Wants You to Know It - The New York Times https://t.co/krFnqOcmUu