People are furious about Amazon's reported decision to split its HQ2 between New York City and Virginia after months of deliberation
- Amazon is closing in on deals to develop its second headquarters in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, New York, and the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, The New York Times reported on Monday evening.
- While state and cities have been fighting to win Amazon's HQ2, many people are less than pleased with the reported decision.
- Critics say Amazon's decision to split the headquarters make the drawn-out process seem like a PR stunt.
- Meanwhile, many New Yorkers are unhappy with the idea of Amazon opening HQ2 in the city, despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo's efforts to win over the company.
Amazon is reportedly finalizing its HQ2 plans. And, people aren't happy.
After months of deliberations and dramatics - without many official communications from Amazon - the company is finalizing plans to split its second headquarters between two locations: Long Island City, in Queens, New York, and Crystal City, in Arlington, Virginia, The New York Times reported on Monday evening.
So far, reactions haven't been positive on social media.
Amazon's reported decision to split its headquarters after months of deliberation - essentially opening two offices that would reportedly house 25,000 people each instead of a second headquarters that could rival its more than 45,000 employees in Seattle - rubbed many people the wrong way.
Insiders have been buzzing about Crystal City being a top pick for HQ2 for some time. However, New York City has been less explored as an option than the Virginia spot.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been pushing for Amazon to move its second headquarters to the state, telling reporters on Monday he would change his name to "Amazon Cuomo" to secure the deal.
However, others are less pleased.
"If HQ2 came to New York, with its influx of tech workers, the campus could exacerbate several problems that already plague the city, including high housing prices, overpopulation, and gridlock - all things Seattle, Amazon's home, has seen since the company arrived in the late 1990s," Business Insider's Leanna Garfield reported in January 2018.
In January, Amazon narrowed its selection to 20 finalist cities, including Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The pick of two locations in the general New York City and Washington, DC, areas out of these options disappointed some people.
Amazon did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on whether it has made a final selection, and it declined to comment on The Times' reporting.
Read more about Amazon's HQ2:
- Amazon made an important investment in Seattle, and it highlights a key issue for HQ2
- Amazon HQ2 candidates are going to great lengths to keep their plans secret
- HQ2 is making cities consider projects they've been ignoring for years - and it shows the power of Amazon
- 7 horrible things that could happen to cities if they win Amazon's HQ2 bid
- Amazon is reportedly nearing a deal to make New York City one of the homes of its second headquarters - here's why it would be disastrous
