Amazon just dropped a major hint on where it wants its new headquarters to be
- On Thursday, Amazon announced its short list of the 20 cities in the running for HQ2 on Thursday.
- Three different locations surrounding Washington, DC appeared on the list.
- This indicates that Amazon may have selected DC as its ideal HQ2 location, but that doesn't mean incentives couldn't swing it somewhere else.
Amazon announced its short list of locations for its new HQ2, but it didn't narrow it down much.
In line with expectations, the list has spots like Austin, Boston, New York City, and Raleigh, North Carolina.
One surprise on the list was its focus on the Washington, DC region. Three separate DC metro area locations made the short list: Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, Maryland, and DC proper. Both Northern Virginia and Montgomery Country border Washington, DC, and they are the only proposals being considered that are not from a major city.
That may indicate that Amazon is going out of its way to shortlist locations around DC, and that it's selected DC as its favorite city to locate its new HQ2. The three locations now must battle each other, each throwing in their best location and incentives, while all the other qualities of being in the region are basically equal. This will likely be the fiercest battle, and no other locations on the short list are at this disadvantage.
There are a few other reasons Amazon may choose DC. The region meets all of the criteria Amazon set for HQ2, including the region's transportation system, education, workforce, and livability. Amazon already has its lobbying operation set up in DC, and Amazon's job openings in DC suggest the office is expanding already.
DC is already Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' home away from home. The billionaire bought the largest mansion in the city in 2017. He also owns the city's Washington Post newspaper, and he already reportedly splits his time between running the two companies, according to a New York Times profile.
While making its chief executive's life easier probably isn't the number-one criteria for choosing HQ2's location, all else being equal, it could swing the favor.