I WAS REALLY SCARED BECAUSE OF THE FIRE EVERYWHERE.
>> WE’VE GOT A LOT TO COVER.
AMAZON HAS ANNOUNCED BIG PLANS
FOR ITS LONG ANTICIPATED AND
HIGHLY PUBLICIZED SECOND
QUARTER, HQ 2.
THE NEW HEADQUARTERS WILL BE
SPLIT BETWEEN TWO LOCATIONS.
ONE IS GOING TO BE IN NEW YORK
CITY.
CITY. THE OTHER ONE IS GOING TO BE IN
THE WASHINGTON, D.C. SUBURB OF
ARLINGTON, IN CRYSTAL CITY,
VIRGINIA.
VIRGINIA. THEY WILL JOIN THE EXISTING
HEADQUARTERS IN SEATTLE.
THE COMPANY’S OFFERING $5
BILLION IN INVESTMENT IN THE NEW
HEADQUARTERS LOCATIONS AND A
TOTAL OF 50,000 JOBS PAYING AN
AVERAGE OF $150,000 PERRIER.
THE CITIES THAT APPLYIED OFFERED
ALL SORTS OF FINANCIAL
INCENTIVES LIKE TAX BREAKS AND
FREE LAND.
FREE LAND. 25,000 JOBS GOING TO LONG ISLAND
CITY, 25,000 JOBS GOING TO
ARLINGTON.
ARLINGTON. A NEW JOBS CENTER WILL OPEN IN
NASHVILLE.
NASHVILLE. THE COMPANY WILL HAVE 5,000
EMPLOYEES THERE.
EMPLOYEES THERE. SPENDING $5 BILLION ON THESE NEW
FACILITIES.
FACILITIES. IN RETURN, THEY GOT INCENTIVES,
THAT’S TAXPAYER MONEY, AS YOU
KNOW.
KNOW. NEW YORK IS GIVING AMAZON $1.85
BILLION WORTH OF STUFF.
VIRGINIA, $819 MILLION.
NASHVILLE, $102 MILLION.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WONDERING ABOUT
THE TECH GIANT’S DECISION TO
HAVE THE CONTEST REICH A-LIKE AP
THEY CHOSE TWO REMARKABLY
OBVIOUS LOCATIONS.
OBVIOUS LOCATIONS. ONE ADJUSTANT TO THE NATION’S
CAPITAL.
CAPITAL. NOW THAT THEY’VE SETTLED ON
LOCATIONS THAT AREN’T IN ANY
DESPERATE NEED, SOME CRITICS ARE
CALLING THE ENTIRE VENTURE
CORPORATE WELFARE.
CORPORATE WELFARE. IT’S FAIRLY COMMON.
ONE CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATES
SUGGEST THAT CITIES AND STATES
GIVE AWAY $70 BILLION EVERY YEAR
WHEN THEY OFFER CONCESSIONS TO
COMPANIES IN EXCHANGE FOR
PROMISED JOBS OR OTHER ECONOMIC
ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY. JOINING US NOW IS ERIC THOMPSON.
HE’S BEEN COVERING THIS VERY
WELL.
WELL. >> CAN I GO?
>> YES, PLEASE.
>> WE’VE SAT HERE FOR THIS
BEAUTY PAGEANT FOR THE LAST YEAR
AND A HALF AND THIS IDEA, WHERE
ARE THEY GOING TO GO, WHAT CITY
WILL THEY REINVIGORATE?
>> WHAT WILL THEY CHANGE, YEAH,
YEAH.
YEAH. >> JEFF BASSOEZOS CHOOSE THE TWO
PRESIDENTIEST
PRESIDENTIEST PREETIEST GIRLS IN SCHOOL
ALREADY.
ALREADY. 22 CITIES HAD GIVEN YOU AN
INSURMOUNTABLE AMOUNT OF DATA.
ABOUT EVERY POSSIBLE CONSUMER IN
THAT REGION.
THAT REGION. AND YOU GAVE THEM NOTHING BACK
BUT A SORRY CHAR L,LIECHARLIE, I
NYC.
NYC. >> ON THE FIRST LEVEL OF
ABSURDITY, WHY DOES IT TAKE 13
MONTHS AND 238 CITY APPLICATIONS
TO LEARN --
>> TO PICK THE NEW YORK CITY
AREA ANYWAY.
AREA ANYWAY. >> JUST MAYBE SHOULD EXPAND ITS
FOOTPRINT.
FOOTPRINT. IN NEW YORK CITY, IT’S SUCH AN
OBVIOUS DECISION.
OBVIOUS DECISION. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL
THEY WERE HOODWINKED.
IF YOU’RE GOING TO SPREAD OUT
THE MAP AND SAY WE CAN GO TO
TOLEDO, COLUMBUS, CHATTANOOGA,
RALEIGH.
RALEIGH. AND THEN YOU END UP SAYING NO,
WE’RE GOING TO GO TO, AS YOU PUT
IT SO WELL, THE FINANCIAL
CAPITAL AND WHERE, BY THE WAY,
BAY
BAY BEZOS.
BEZOS. EVERY YEAR, AMERICANS SPEND 729$
BILLION TO MOVE JOBS IN THE U.S.
THAT’S MORE THAN THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SPENDS ON EDUCATION
OR INFRASTRUCTURE.
OR INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS IS ABSURD WASTE.
>> WHAT IS THE RATIONALE?
>> THE RATIONALE IS THEY --
THERE’S SEVERAL THINGS THEY’RE
SAYING.
SAYING. ONE THING THEY’RE SAYING IS THEY
NEED TO EXPAND IN ORDER TO BE A
TRULY NATIONAL COMPANY, RIGHT?
I DON’T BUY THAT.
ONE HEADQUARTERS, TWO HTS, BY
THE TIME YOU GET TO SEVEN HTS --
>> WE’LL ACCEPT THE PROMISE OF
TWO HEADQUARTERS.
TWO HEADQUARTERS. WHY ARE THEY SAYING NOW NEW YORK
AND WASHINGTON?
AND WASHINGTON? IF THEY WANTED TO BE ON THE EAST
COAST, ON THE WATER.
YOU’VE GOT BALTIMORE.
A CITY THAT COULD USE
REVITALIZATION.
REVITALIZATION. >> THERE ARE OPTIONS ON THE EAST
COAST WHICH WOULD BENEFIT FROM
25,000 JOBS.
25,000 JOBS. >> AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT
HAPPENS IS A COMPANY LIKE BOEING
WILL STAYWANT TO STAY IN SEATTLE
BUT THE STATE WILL GIVE ME
SUBSIDYIES SO I CAN STAY.
A LOT OF TIMES, THESE COMPANIES
ARE CREATING A FALSE
MARKETPLACE.
MARKETPLACE. TO CREATE A SILENT BIDDING WAR
TO PAY THEM BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
TO DO THAT WHICH THEY’RE GOING
TO DO ANYWAY.
HE WAS GOING TO EXPAND IN NEW
YORK CITY ANYWAY.
HE WANTED TO LIVE TO SPEND TIME
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
HE CREATED BRILLIANTLY I THINK A
PUBLIC FAKE MARKETPLACE TO RAISE
THE BIDDING PRICE.
>> WE CAN ACCEPT THE ARGUMENT
THAT ARLINGTON AND LONG ISLAND
CITY DIDN’T REALLY NEED THIS.
THESE WERE PLACES THAT WERE
ALREADY GROWING.
ALREADY GROWING. THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE
ALWAYS SAID WHEN YOU GIVE PEOPLE
MONEY TO BUILD A STADIUM IT
NEVER PAYS YOU BACK.
I’M NOT SURE THAT’S TRUE.
IS THERE GOING TO BE PAYBACK FOR
THIS?
THIS? IS IT WORTH THE MONEY THAT
THEY’D GIVEN THEM?
>> MAYBE.
>> MAYBE. I DON’T KNOW.
AMAZON, WHO KNOWS IF IT’S GOING
TO GROW BY 50,000 JOBS.
YOU’RE RIGHT OF COURSE, THERE
ARE MANY TIMES A COMPANY CAN
COME IN AND BE A HUB, CREATE THE
BEGINNING OF A CLUSTER THAT CAN
REVITALIZE A CITY.
SOMETIMES IT JUST DOESN’T
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. THE STATE OF WISCONSIN IS PAYING
FOX CON $4 BILLION --
>> THE FACT THAT HE MIGHT NOT
EVEN SHOW UP.
>> IF IT DOES SHOW UP, MIGHT BE
RUN BY ROBOTS.
THAT’S WISCONSIN.
THAT’S WISCONSIN. >> I KNOW WE HAVE NO TIME.
>> HERSHEY PENNSYLVANIA, FOX CON
WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A FACTORY
THERE.
THERE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE’S A
FOX CON FACTORY IN HERSHEY.
>> BOEING YOU COULD SAY WANTS TO
HAVE ANOTHER HEADQUARTERS, WANTS
THIS BEAUTY PAGEANT.
JEFF BEZOS IS THE RICHEST MAN IN
MODERN HISTORY.
MODERN HISTORY. SOME SAY THIS MAN WANTS TO RUN
FOR PRESIDENT.
FOR PRESIDENT. WHY WOULD JEFF BEZOS MAKE A MOVE
LIKE THIS?
LIKE THIS? LET’S SAY HE DID GO TO WEST
VIRGINIA OR GO TO TOLEDO AND
COULD BE TRANSFORMATIONAL.
>> IF YOU ASK ME THIS IS A
PUBLIC RELATIONS DISASTER.
AMAZON DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS.
THEY COULD HAVE GONE AND SAID,
LOOK, PLEASE KIND OF QUIETLY
GIVE US THE SUBSIDY, THE MOVE TO
LONG ISLAND CITY.
INSTEAD, THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD
CREATE THIS SORT OF CINDERELLA
CONTEST.
CONTEST. THEY PUT THE SLIPPER ON THE
RICHEST PRINCESS.
RICHEST PRINCESS. >> CINDERELLA STILL CLEANING
THE --
THE -- >> EXCEPT OF COURSE CINDERELLA’S
MOTHER TOLD HER BEFORE SHE DIED
TWO THINGS, BE BRAVE AND BE
KIND.
KIND. CINDERELLA MIGHT BE UPSTAIRS
SWEEPING.
SWEEPING. >> GOOD TO TALK TO YOU.