E-commerce behemoth, Amazon.com, Inc., is reportedly set to announce plans for its second and third headquarters (deemed as HQ2) in the New York City and Northern Virginia, ending its more than a year-long public contest that initiated with 238 candidates.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon will be splitting the second headquarters evenly between Arlington County’s Crystal City and New York’s Long Island City neighborhoods, located across the major city centers. In addition, the company plans to split the offices between its 25,000 employees, cite reports.
Sources suggest that the decision would effectively give Amazon a significant presence in 3 coastal hubs during a time when tech companies are apparently under criticism for their alleged elitism and liberal social views.
For the record, Dallas and Austin were among the 20 finalists, 19 in the U.S. plus Toronto, that turned out to become a search for a second-but-equal headquarters to Amazon’s original Seattle home. Moreover, in North Texas, Amazon had zeroed it to downtown Dallas as its No. 1 site.
As per sources, the two sites favored by Amazon are both riverfront areas in major metropolitan zones with ample transportation facilities and space for workers.
Incidentally, Amazon’s move to New York will position it against Google, which apparently is gearing up for its own expansion in the city. Sources cite that Alphabet Inc.’s unit plans to add office space for more than 12,000 new workers, a number nearly twice the search giant’s current staffing in the city.
Amazon had recently been in last stages of negotiations in several locations which include New York, Crystal City and Dallas. Aside from its HQ2 decision, the e-commerce giant may also announce names of other cities that have won big projects, claim sources. However, it was not clear onto what the company might take or where they would reside.