Amazon May Cancel its New York Headquarter Plans

The Washington Post has reported that e-commerce giant Amazon was reconsidering its New York headquarters, which would bring 25,000 jobs to the state.

Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has said, “We need Amazon,” an called the opposition from politicians about Amazon’s move “governmental malpractice.”

“For the state Senate to oppose Amazon was governmental malpractice,” Cuomo said at a news conference on Long Island. He added, “And if they stop Amazon from coming to New York, they’re going to have the people of New York state to explain it to. It is irresponsible to allow political opposition to overcome sound government policy.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the politicians who has opposed the nearly $3 billion in performance-based incentives that the state and city government offered Amazon.

“You want to know how dangerous it is?” Cuomo asked. “There is a story today that says Amazon may not come to New York. If Amazon does not come to New York, it’s because of the political opposition.”

“I spend days trying to bring a business that has 100 jobs or 200 jobs,” he said.

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “Can everyday people come together and effectively organize against creeping overreach of one of the world’s biggest corporations? Yes, they can.”

State Sen. Michael Gianaris, another critic of Amazon’s move had said, “This is typical of the way Amazon has handled this situation. If they’re trying to extort New York through anonymous threats, they’re showing that they’re not a responsible corporate actor to begin with. … If their view is we want your $3 billion or we’re leaving, maybe they should leave.”

“You want to diversify your economy? You don’t want to just be Wall Street and finance?” Cuomo defended. “We need Amazon.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and have not been compensated for this article.