DS says unlikely to be SoCal because of land/property prices. He’d love to get the chance to transfer down here. But hey - the whole San Diego Qualcomm campus is available!
My guess is Amazon would want HQ2 to be at least 2 timezones away, so somewhere in CST or EST.
@Marilyn Is Qualcomm going somewhere? They pretty much have the western end of Mira Mesa.
It will be Boston/Cambridge. They already are expanding their tech offices in Cambridge, Wayfair is already there, GE is moving their HQ there, they meet the criteria, are on the opposite coast, lots of talent coming out of the local colleges, and lately Boston is working very hard to get companies to move there (just got the three big sneaker companies to headquarter there).
@Marilyn - I had the same question for you about Qualcomm as I had not heard they are going anywhere. The old Campus Point area where SAIC/Leidos and part of Qualcomm used to be still had many buildings empty since I worked in that area more than 2 years ago.
According to the news, Toronto and other Canadian cities are vying for the new HQ as well.
It could be somewhere in NE but I doubt it would be right in Boston/Cambridge. I would think they would aim for something more affordable but who knows…
So sorry- I was thinking of Qualcomm Stadium, not the company itself! It was on my mind because the naming rights for the stadium are in the process of changing.
DS says talk for the new Amazon HQ have included Massachusetts, Texas (presume Austin), and Pittsburgh.
Here’s some analysis.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-09-07/few-cities-could-accommodate-amazon-s-new-headquarters
“By my tally, the options are: Toronto, Boston, Washington, Atlanta, Dallas or Denver.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/07/here-are-the-cities-that-match-amazons-wish-list-for-its-second-headquarters.html
“Based on those results, Amazon might want to give New York, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston a close look.”
So, @snowball and @kiddie, you might be right with your guesses.
Denver would be a great location for them.
It might not be Boston/Cambridge proper but somewhere along the old route 128 tech corridor. This article (although a year old) talks about the original tech area in MA - https://www.digitalrealty.com/blog/bostons-technology-corridor/
On the other hand, although that MA area fits the bill, it would be nice if Amazon chose a smaller more struggling city where they could make a real difference (as they have in Seattle). The boast to the local economy would be more significant that way.
Strange to be able to say as a company to cities - come and court me - the power of Amazon!
Mercedes just moved its headquarters to Atlanta, and Porsche moved to Atlanta a few years ago. Honeywell is opening a division headquarters in Atlanta as well. C’mon, Atlanta!
This is as exciting as where the next Olympics will be held!
Feel free to tell me how this would not be a good idea (I’m no business woman!!) but…why it is necessary or a good idea or desirable to go to these top cities - Denver, Boston, Atlanta, etc…I get that employees want a good place to live…but…they could literally lift a “B” or "C’ list town right up putting a headquarters in a lesser known town with good access to main highways, plentiful housing, affordable living, etc. I’m thinking something Midwest - and not Chicago - say Indy, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati (or other Ohio Metro area - but not expecting they are rushing her to Toledo…)
Amazon needs a critical mass of techies already living in the area to hit the ground running like it did in Seattle. Here it had Microsoft employees, a desirable fun place to live, and city officials welcoming it to the neighborhood.
^^^^So those three things…why can they not be found in lesser known cities. We have lots and lots of universities putting out tech/IT people!
If they are looking to hire a younger crowd the cost of living factor could be a draw. Great places to start families. There is plenty to do!
It would be a bold move to go outside of the mega city box. And be a big bolster to economy that needs it. Ann Arbor has a Google office!
Kiddie, 128 or maybe the 495 corridor. But ugh, think of the traffic. (Ever driven 495 when it snows?) Mansfield almost splits the difference between Boston and Providence, could draw a good employee base.
Abasket, lots of grads isn’t quite it. It’s more an entirety of what will draw great hires there, who’ll stay a good while. (That said, yeah, I know many adore Michigan.)
A strong U program churning out potential workforce is usually not enough; ideally, a company of that size needs a few tech employers for whom it can poach initial workforce like the tech companies did in Seattle… Ann Arbor might fit the bill… The impact of non-compete laws in those states also needs to be considered. In a state like CA, poaching the initial work force would be a piece of cake… retaining it could turn into a problem. OTOH, in a state with laws strongly protecting employers’ interests, it would be easier to retain talent, but attracting it might not be so easy without dangling a few juicy carrots.
I know that Philly is putting in a bid. Should be fun to watch!
Epic gets a ton of techie kids to come to Madison.
Pittsburgh is becoming a tech center with CMU and google. Would seems to be a good fit
“Strange to be able to say as a company to cities - come and court me - the power of Amazon!”
Actually, I think it is pretty common just not as visible or covered by the media because it is smaller companies (but often still quite large!). Economic Development is a big deal for states and cities.
“This is as exciting as where the next Olympics will be held!”
So much better, IMO. I would not want the Olympics in my community as I’m not sure it pays off economically. As much a 50K jobs and the power of Amazon on the other hand…bring it on!
Our kids generation can be quite particular about where they live. I can understand why Amazon would focus on a large city that would help them attract the best talent possible as much as I would like to see them help boost some place that could use boosting.
I think Philly would be a great idea. On the eastern corridor, a lot going on to attract young people, but much more affordable than other major east coast cities.