Since online-book-store-turned-internet-retail-giant Amazon announced that it is looking to establish a second headquarters, many have wondered what city would be graced with the company (and the thousands of jobs that come with it).
Though the company itself hasn’t revealed a short list publically, some top execs at Amazon.com Inc. have reportedly been vying for Boston as the new headquarters’ home.
“Several senior Amazon.com Inc. executives advocate putting a second headquarters in Boston, according to a person briefed on the matter,” Bloomberg reported this week.
Boston is being considered, Bloomberg reports, because of its close location to Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, because Logan Airport can provide nonstop flights to Seattle (where the company’s first headquarters are located) and Washington, D.C. (home to the U.S. Public Policy team and members of the Amazon Web Services Worldwide Public Sector team).
Boston is also appealing because of its “lower cost of living than many other big cities,” the source, who requested to be anonymous, told Bloomberg.
Boston isn’t a completely out-of-left-field pick. The New York Times recently published an analysis ranking potential HQ2-worthy cities and Boston made it to the top four.
Denver ultimately won out, according to the Times, because Boston might simply not have enough physical space available for the company.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh had previously said that he didn’t want Boston to get into a “bidding war” with another city trying to attract Amazon. That doesn’t mean he wants Boston completely out of the running, though.
“Amazon is a big opportunity that Boston has to review,” Walsh said in a statement. “If Amazon wants an East Coast headquarters, I don’t see any city in America better than Boston, Massachusetts. There are a lot more discussions, but I think Boston has to be part of that dialogue.”
As for Amazon, the company is keeping its digital lips sealed. In tweets on Tuesday, Amazon denied Bloomberg’s exclusive report.
“Bloomberg is incorrect — there are no front-runners at this point,” the company tweeted. “We’re just getting started and every city is on equal playing field.”
Amazon added that the company is “energized by the response from cities” across North America who have already reached out to express interest about being considered for the second headquarters.
The new headquarters would bring a $5 billion investment and 50,000 new jobs over the next two decades to whichever city gets the gig.
