It’s been a rough week for the world’s richest man: As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ battle with the National Enquirer rages on, his company announced its romance with Long Island City, Queens, is over and it will not build part of a second headquarters there. (Adweek)
A blog post from the company reads, “While polls show that 70 percent 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.” (THR)
The change would have brought 25,000 jobs to the Queens area, but the company would have received $1.7 billion in incentives from the state and another $1.3 billion from the city, including a taxpayer-funded helicopter pad, just for moving in. That didn’t sit well with local lawmakers and residents of Queens who said the change would negatively impact the neighborhood. (HuffPost)
Amazon does not intend to pick an alternative site. Instead, the company said it would proceed with previously announced outposts in Virginia and Tennessee, and expand its 17 other offices across the U.S. and Canada. (Politico)
Unlike New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, a fellow HQ2 supporter who blamed Amazon for pulling out of the deal, New York governor Andrew Cuomo claims the New York State Senate is at fault. (Mashable)
