Amazon will open major outposts in Northern Virginia’s Crystal City and in New York City, splitting its much-sought investment of up to 50,000 jobs between the two East Coast sites.
Amazon made the surprise decision to split the second headquarters between two locations after a year-long bidding frenzy that started with proposals from 238 cities.
Amazon has said the HQ2 project will include a $5 billion investment and could create as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs, which will be split between the two locations.
The company also announced that it has selected Nashville for 5,000 jobs as part of a new Center of Excellence for its Operations business, which is responsible for the company’s customer fulfillment, transportation, supply chain and similar activities.
Not everyone is thrilled.
Congresswoman-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she has received concerned calls from residents in her Queens district, which is adjacent to where the Amazon offices will be located.
She characterized the general sentiment about Amazon moving into the area as “outrage.”
Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 13, 2018
And Ocasio-Cortez is not alone.
The decision also has an immediate political impact of putting CEO Jeff Bezos more in President Trump’s face than ever.
Bezos’ ownership of The Washington Post, which he bought back in 2013, has enraged Trump, sparking Twitter-fueled allegations from the president that Amazon is dodging taxes, ripping off the U.S. Postal Service and putting traditional retailers out of business.
“Anything that makes Bezos more prominent in Washington is going to irritate Trump and he will take it personally,” said Michael D’Antonio, author of the 2015 Trump biography “Never Enough.” D’Antonio added: “He will think Bezos made this decision to stick it to him.”
Queens has significance for Trump as well. He grew up there before becoming a New York City real estate developer and reality TV host. But it’s Washington — Trump’s current home — where Amazon’s growth plans could produce the most tension with the president.
Bezos, who was this year named the world’s richest man, has been increasing his profile in the nation’s capital, even as Trump has accelerated his attacks on the company.