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Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

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Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#291

Post by pc86 »

baron816 wrote: post #143

You have to consider that this may be a political move by Bezos. The term "anti-trust" has been brought up a lot lately in regards to 'Big Tech.' If Amazon becomes a big employer in a lot of low population states, it would effectively be buying itself those states's Senators and creating an 'Amazon Industrial Complex.' On the other hand, Bezos might want to just move the margins and try to make a purple state blue. F…

> For a big state, that might make have a bigger impact and make more sense, especially since you're not going to find 50,000 software engineers in Montana.

I bet you would if you announced next month that Amazon was opening an 8,000,000 square foot facility in Montana and would be hiring software developers at Amazon wages.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#293

Post by product50 »

devmunchies wrote: post #274
product50 wrote: post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you want to pitch SS but saying UoU and BYU are great universities is just wrong. Indeed, attracting talent in Utah is going to be one of Amazon's biggest challenges if it opens an office there.

> I know you want to pitch SS Frankly, I don't care either way. I work in downtown Seattle in Amazon's back yard. I just know SS has a healthy tech scene and not a lot of people know about it. > saying UoU and BYU are great universities is just wrong What? Am I missing something?

Here are the top eng colleges in US: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering...

Do you see UoU and BYU there in the top 50? I don't either. For contrast, 2 of Silicon Valley's univs are in top 5.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#294

Post by williamsmj »

kemiller wrote: post #286
grecy wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. Those tax cuts should be added ON TOP of the income taxes those employees bring in. More business should be more tax revenue = better services for the citizens. > It's not corruption, it's business. When a business is able to make a deal that gets them out of paying taxes they otherwise would legally be required to pay, that's corruption. Sugar coat it all you want, it's regular citizens they are stealing from.

Unless money is being funneled into private politicians’ hands, it’s not corruption. The choice is between amazon + tax breaks and nothing. These cities clearly believe that they’re better off, net net, with Amazon and they’re probably right. This is not at all the same as accepting bribes. There are certainly bad deals out there, but mismanagement is not the same as corruption. Now if you can show that the politicia…

You say "the choice is between amazon + tax breaks and nothing" like the legal and cultural framework in which these processes take place is a force of nature.

The choice is between those things because Amazon says so, and government chooses not to stand up to them by refusing to cooperate country-wide, or passing federal legislation.

Amazon is not an outlier here: this is how all deals of this size in the United States get done. It's a national embarrassment.

It doesn't have to be that way, and it isn't in many other countries.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#295

Post by novaleaf »

grecy wrote: post #161
jpatokal wrote: post #24

The RFP is rather more interesting than the marketing page: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/Anything... The 2nd criterion is basically the total amount of sweet, sweet taxpayer dollars available to subsidize them: Please provide a summary of total incentives offered for the Project by the state/province and local community. In this summary, please provide a brief description of the incentive item,…

And anyone wonders why the USA does not have money for healthcare, higher education, high speed rail, etc. etc. I am in West Africa and everyone continually asks about the corruption. At least here it's up front and honest. The guy with the AK-47 just wants $5. In the USA, it's the guys in suits getting billions.

sorry but if i have to choose between a guy with an AK47 demanding $5 from me, and a shadowy power pulling the strings of a vibrant economy to extract 10% of my income, I know what I'd choose.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#296

Post by unexpected »

fooey wrote: post #232
sremani wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anybody who says People's Republic of Austin (ref: Bernie movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JREkqCvLzSo ) is not on progressive wing is kidding. Also, Whole Foods is head-quartered in Austin, so there could be "synergy" there.

Progressive islands in conservative states are almost worse They just get diced up and have no voice in state or federal government, and you end up with things like the NC and Texas bathroom bills. Why would a company like Amazon move to a state who's already so wrong on human rights issues? That's just asking for boycotts and mass resignations. I'd wager it's vastly more likely Whole Foods will move away than Amazon…

I agree with you, but I would argue the opposite. If you wanted to tip over Texas (and make it blue), moving 50,000 progressive jobs is a great way to do it. I'm in Dallas, and we're a lot closer to doing this than you would expect. Dallas, Houston, Austin are already blue.

If you can turn Texas blue, it's game over.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#297

Post by santaclaus »

reaperducer wrote: post #285
fooey wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Progressive islands in conservative states are almost worse They just get diced up and have no voice in state or federal government, and you end up with things like the NC and Texas bathroom bills. Why would a company like Amazon move to a state who's already so wrong on human rights issues? That's just asking for boycotts and mass resignations. I'd wager it's vastly more likely Whole Foods will move away than Amazon…

> Progressive islands in conservative states are almost worse Progressive islands in conservative states is pretty much all there is, with the exception of California and New England. Chicago is the progressive island that turns conservative Illinois blue on the map. Seattle is the progressive island that turns conservative Washington blue on the map. New York, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and a few others are the pr…

> Progressive islands in conservative states is pretty much all there is, with the exception of California and New England.

California is hella conservative the second you get out of the major cities...

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#298

Post by relaunched »

relaunched wrote: post #133

Minnesota. Budget surplus, tons of F500 companies / large companies to recruit from and a strong university system, with lots of other states to draw from, being the largest city in the area, save Chicago.

It's also very affordable, with public transportation.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#299

Post by bane »

Why not in the D.C. area, perhaps near Amazon's own data centers in Ashburn? It's one of the richest, most educated places in the U.S., has huge quantities of technical talent and plenty of high quality nearby schools with strong technical programs and lots of people looking for opportunities outside of the Fed space but don't want to move to the West coast. It also is within the D.C./Baltimore/Philadelphia/NYC mega-city/region.

Ashburn hits pretty much all of their RFP requirements right away with the development of the new metro line as well.

Re: Amazon to Build Second HQ in North America

#300

Post by relaunched »

relaunched wrote: post #133

Minnesota. Budget surplus, tons of F500 companies / large companies to recruit from and a strong university system, with lots of other states to draw from, being the largest city in the area, save Chicago.

Amazon has a small, but growing technical office in Minneapolis, as well as a DC in the suburbs.
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