Amazon halts Virginia HQ construction, AOC declares ‘we were right’ to criticize construction in New York

Completion of Amazon’s “second headquarters” in Virginia has been postponed indefinitely by the company.

According to a new report from bloomberg(opens in new tab), Amazon’s decision comes after the biggest layoff in the company’s history, which left more than 18,000 people out of work. The report also says the shift to remote work over the past few years has caused the company to reassess its office-related needs as well.

Back in 2018, cities across the United States were doing their bit. chosen As the location of Amazon’s “Second Headquarters”. The company put together a year’s worth of competition to decide where to build the facility. Critics have described the move as a marketing stunt trying to extract the best financial incentives from wherever possible.

Ultimately, Amazon chose New York City, but quickly faced stubborn opposition.

Amazon would receive $3 billion in tax incentives in exchange for choosing Queens, New York as its second headquarters. Dubbed HQ2, the facility faced backlash from the AOC and local politicians over a deal that had been arranged to bring the e-commerce giant to the state.

Before construction began, Amazon decided to move to Arlington, Virginia instead. Progressive politicians like AOC were heavy criticized(opens in new tab) By backers of the project, such as then-disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who claimed that Amazon would bring jobs to the state.

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AOC and other critics of the deal to bring Amazon to New York have been right before. Shortly after it stopped bringing HQ2 to New York, Amazon leased Manhattan office space that accommodates 1,500 employees. And this was done without the need for special tax incentives.

as new bloomberg Construction in Virginia has been completed on the first part of the HQ2 facility, which is expected to have about 8,000 employees in the office by June, according to reports. But when the facility’s completion is interrupted, it creates problems for local developers, construction company employees, and service workers.

“When I objected to this Amazon project coming to New York, [because] It was a fraud of public funds and the whole power establishment was targeting us.” murmured(opens in new tab) New York State Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Friday after Amazon announced it would pause construction on its second headquarters in Virginia. “Billboard goes up in Times Square, accuses me. Powerful poll promises revenge. Editorial(opens in new tab) & CEO(opens in new tab) insulted my intelligence. ”

her billboard claim(opens in new tab) As with her editorial, it certainly stands up to fact-checking(opens in new tab) and CEO comments. Alfredo Ortiz, CEO of Job Creators Network, said:(opens in new tab) The AOC and other socialists of the time citing “lack of education”.

Nevertheless, according to her tweet, “In the end, we were right.”