Technology

Amazon Scuttles HQ2 in Queens, Points Fingers at State and Local Politicians

Jon C. Ogg

Published: February 14, 2019 1:00 pm

Last Updated: January 31, 2020 12:35 am

It’s official: Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is killing its ambitions for the HQ2 in Queens. The recent pushback from local officials has killed the move.

While Amazon will not be making the new giant “second headquarters” push, the company is still committing to add to the local teams in the New York City area. Amazon claims to have over 5,000 Amazon employees currently in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island.

What perhaps matters the most here is that Amazon also said that it does not intend to reopen the highly publicized HQ2 search (at this time). The company said that it will proceed as planned in the areas of Northern Virginia and Nashville. It also will continue to hire and grow in the 17 corporate offices and technology hubs around the United States and Canada.

Amazon did not name the politicians who were so vocal against its HQ2 being in Queens, but it’s pretty well known. The company’s blogpost said:

After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.

It also gave thanks to the state and local supporters that did work with the company:

We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult.

This is not the first time that fringe politicians have gotten in the way of corporate ambitions. It also won’t be the last.

Thursday’s news likely is not viewed as a major-mover for Amazon shares, but the stock was last seen down 0.4% at $1,633 in midday trading.