Denver is not going to make the cut. Housing prices are already growing at 10% yoy. Add an Amazon to that and you're going to be Seattle in about 18 months.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/troymcmullen/2017/05/03/denver-...
Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
151–160 of 253 posts
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#152Amazon made it clear that it was looking for "someplace in North America"... there are 2 other countries you've left out with metro areas that fit at least some of the criteria.
I would be shocked if Amazon put its headquarters anywhere where English is not the primary language. That leaves Toronto and Vancouver, unless I'm forgetting somewhere.
Parts of Mexico could end up satisfying that if Congress does not act on DACA. It would be interesting if a company opened facilities in Mexico with the specific purpose of recruiting from deported DACA beneficiaries.
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think this is an excellent point. While Detroit has a relatively small population, it's metropolitan area does not. It's large metropolitan area has a large STEM talent pool thanks to the automotive sector, the second largest Delta hub (behind Atlanta and just a giant airport anyways), and has a very willing government plus Dan Gilbert. It'll be a uphill battle, but I think Detroit is a serious dark horse.
but big question is, will Amazon go into automotive sector? otherwise, I don't see Detroit being their pick.
Perhaps the point was that there may be some transferable technical talent already in place. Plenty of programmers, statisticians, UX experts, data scientists and IT folks needed for modern auto companies.
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#154Why doesn't Amazon choose a city that almost meets their criteria and invest the wealth they generate there back into the city? Then we get more good cities instead of overinvesting into any single city.
Because we don't live in an economic system that allows for it. Amazon and every other capitalistic enterprise always cares more about profits than the wellness of a city. "If we do it, someone else won't, and they'll win!"
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#155I'm surprised to see Philadelphia eliminated so quickly, it ticks almost all of the boxes, and has a very large number of engineering schools (UPenn, Penn State, Drexel, Temple, Princeton, Rutgers, etc). It's transit is better than many of the other cities, and it has 2 major development plots in the city with existing full tax abatements. Not to mention its proximity to NYC and Washington, DC via Amtrak (~1h20m to N…
I noticed that people pushing Philadelphia never mention its bad crime rate. Amazon might not be explicitly mentioning that in the criteria, but I'm sure it can't help.
I lived there for five years, five years ago. We used to joke that drunk driving was a minor league sport and that "It's Always Sunny..." is actually a documentary. Literally half the people I knew had at least one DUI on their records, and the rest all had a scare-story where the cop let them go. "Imagine a town in which everyone has at least a little larceny in their hearts," elicits a few proud chuckles from my friends still there. Camden, NJ is the only city I've ever seen with more litter. They booed and threw icey snowballs at Santa Claus at a football game in 1968 and they still talk about it like it proves how great the fan culture is. They are very proud that their sports fans are the loudest, drunkest, and most violent. It's the only town in which I've been challenged to a fight just because I was in the room.
I loved it in my twenties. The food and drink scene in DC is nothing in comparison, and there is a yuppiness here that is interminable. But too many yoga and spin-class studios and too-expensive beer aren't going to literally kill me. Philly earns all of its bad nicknames.
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#156Absolutely love, despite the fact that it's mentioned numerous times that Amazon is searching all of NA for its second hq, that both Canada, and Mexico are completely ignored. This is despite the fact that Toronto is currently the continents fastest growing tech market due to a lot of factors that would be of incredible interest to a behemoth like Amazon. Feels a like a bit of a snub of the thumb by NYT on that one..…
Toronto has expensive cost of living, though.
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#157For Europeans to come and work in USA, a West Coast city would be better - Washington, New York, Miami, boston ...
I think you meant East Coast? But as far as immigration is a factor, it would make more sense to optimize for access to Asia.
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#158I am quite surprised that they are focussing on the US only. After all, the search is going on in North America, not just the USA - would have preferred to see this covering at least Mexico and Canada as well..
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#159[deleted]
Re: Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You
#160Instead of two headquarters, why not 50 headquarters? They have one of the largest and most reliable networks in the world - use it! With offices spread across the country (continent, even), they could hire from a talent pool that dwarfs Seattle and Denver. They wouldn't have to find 100+ contiguous acres for sale in one metropolis. City Council elections wouldn't have to be of strategic importance. Likewise for disa…
The same reason Google, Facebook, Apple, et all still bus employees 40 miles south from SF to their offices -- having people together in one office (or campus) makes them more productive, no matter how much technology you throw at it.