One year ago, Amazon announced it would launch a continent-wide search for a city to host its $5 billion second headquarters. This search has turned the tech world upside down in some ways, sparking fierce debate about government incentives, Amazon’s relationship with Seattle and the role that tech businesses play in America today.
It’s also shown us just how much power Amazon can wield. So after all the time, where do we stand on HQ2? How has the search impacted the cities vying for the top spot? And more importantly, what has this process told us about one of the most influential companies in the U.S.?
We answer those questions on this episode of the Week in Geek. Listen to the full episode in the player below or subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
This week’s stories:
- Win or lose, Amazon HQ2 put 20 cities on the map — and some are already reaping the rewards
- Amazon is staffing up in these HQ2 finalist cities as second headquarters decision nears
- Bernie Sanders introduces ‘Stop BEZOS Act’ to require employers to cover federal aid for workers
- Protestors in Amazon HQ2 cities around the country demand more transparency in bidding process
- Amazon discreetly visits HQ2 cities in Phase 2 of extraordinary second headquarters competition
- Amazon narrows HQ2 search to 20 cities, moving to next phase in contest for $5B economic prize
