Amazon announced plans early Thursday morning to open a second headquarters “fully equal” to its Seattle home, calling on local governments across North America to submit proposals.
The news immediately ignited speculation that the e-commerce giant is outgrowing its hometown and introduced questions about whether Amazon’s complex relationship with Seattle is to blame.
The negative attitude of many citizens and of our government to business in general and to Amazon in particular has created an environment for Amazon and, even more importantly its employees, that is unpredictable and outright hostile.
GeekWire has been talking with city officials and business leaders to find out what they make of the announcement, which took everyone by surprise this morning — including, it seems, many of Washington’s top lawmakers.
Representatives from the offices of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee were scrambling to prepare statements on the news this morning, suggesting they didn’t see it coming.
But not everyone was quite so shocked to learn that Amazon wants to set up shop somewhere outside of its hometown. Take Heather Redman, co-founder of venture capital firm Flying Fish and the incoming Chair of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
In an email to GeekWire, Redman said she was not surprised by the decision given what she views as hostile attitude toward Amazon in its hometown. Redman said her comments reflect her personal views, not those of the Chamber.
The negative attitude of many citizens and of our government to business in general and to Amazon in particular has created an environment for Amazon and, even more importantly its employees, that is unpredictable and outright hostile. This is our chance, as citizens and elected officials, to wake up and realize that Amazon is the best thing that has happened to the city in the modern era. It has brought us density with many civic and environmental benefits, jobs across the spectrum (everything from food service to construction to design to programming), an international population rich in culture, a boom in high-talent young residents who value the environment, social justice and the arts even more than our native population — just to name a few of its benefits.
Redman thinks Seattle should respond to Amazon’s request for proposals and try to convince the tech titan to invest more in its hometown. “It’s never too late to say we’re sorry,” she said.
Amazon is inviting states and local governments to pitch the company on bringing the new headquarters, dubbed “HQ2” to their community. The facility “will be a complete headquarters for Amazon – not a satellite office,” the company says in a news release.
Although many are lamenting what the second headquarters will mean for Seattle, not everyone is concerned that Amazon’s wanderlust is inherently negative.
Amazon is planning to spend $5 billion on the new campus. The company will hire new teams and executives and let existing senior leaders choose between the original headquarters and the new location. Amazon currently occupies 8 million square feet of office space across 33 buildings in Seattle, mainly in the Denny Triangle and South Lake Union neighborhoods. The company employs about 380,000 worldwide.
“Though they won’t find one quite like it, it is telling that Amazon is looking for a city in the model of Seattle for its second home, similar to what major tech companies like Google and Facebook have done in building campuses here,” Murray said in his statement.
Longtime Seattleites may be experiencing unpleasant flashbacks to Boeing’s 2001 decision to move its headquarters to Chicago, but Amazon isn’t planning to abandon its original headquarters. Still, the news is raising questions about whether the company will continue to grow in the Seattle region.
Amazon’s decision to spread its headquarters across two cities may have something to do with growing tension between the company and some of Seattle’s lawmakers and longtime residents.
Amazon, along with other big players in the tech industry, is drawing record numbers of newcomers to Seattle with high-paid jobs. That has been an economic boon to the region, but it has also driven up the cost of living and reduced housing supply, putting pressure on lower-income residents.
The conflict came to a head in July, when the Seattle City Council passed an ordinance taxing annual income that is greater than $250,000.
Sawant and Councilmember Lisa Herbold championed the bill. Washington law prohibits local jurisdictions from taxing income and the ordinance is facing several legal challenges, including one from an organization founded by Madrona Venture Group Director Matt McIlwain.