• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As U.S. Treasury intervened in the bond market, the Netherlands rushed 86 tons of gold out of America because of ‘geopolitical unrest’

2

He failed the military pilot eye test—so he built a $1 million-a-day traffic company and bought flying lessons. Now he’s Top Gun’s stunt pilot 

3

Despite being a multimillionaire, Suze Orman still cooks at home whenever possible—and says eating out is one of the biggest wastes of money

1

As U.S. Treasury intervened in the bond market, the Netherlands rushed 86 tons of gold out of America because of ‘geopolitical unrest’

2

He failed the military pilot eye test—so he built a $1 million-a-day traffic company and bought flying lessons. Now he’s Top Gun’s stunt pilot 

3

Despite being a multimillionaire, Suze Orman still cooks at home whenever possible—and says eating out is one of the biggest wastes of money
CommentaryAmazon

Amazon Isn’t Picking an HQ2 Anymore—More Like a Couple of Regional Outposts

By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Adam Lashinsky
Adam Lashinsky
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 6, 2018, 9:43 AM ET
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This article first appeared in Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box, sign up here.

I watched President Trump on television for a bit Monday and heard him repeat a few times “there’s something going on” with Republicans in advance of the midterm elections. It was a calorie-free statement and a reminder that we live constantly in a reality-TV episode these days.

No tech company has internalized this message better than Amazon.com. In setting up a continent-wide competition for its second headquarters—even sturdy Toronto is in the mix!—the company created the greatest anticipatory business beauty pageant since, well, a certain real estate and licensing huckster created a phenomenally successful phony business TV show. (Long before there was fake news there was fake business.)

Amazon is about to crank up the anticipation. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday the company plans to choose two, not one, new headquarters cities. And the two are most likely Crystal City in Arlington, Va., near Washington D.C. and Long Island City in Queens, New York, the New York Times reports. Some will quibble that two new 25,000-person offices are what’s known as regional outposts, not a headquarters. After all, Amazon already has warehouses around the country. It also has significant offices in Northern California, both in San Francisco and in Silicon Valley, where its Kindle devices were born.

The Amazon announcement is expected any day, though it’d be shocking if it tried to compete with Election Day. (Sharing the news cycle is not good television.) It is to the company’s credit that it has gotten multiple municipalities to prostrate themselves at Amazon’s job-giving feet. They’ve offered billions in tax cuts and other ways to sweeten the pot.

There’s a big difference between the Amazon (AMZN) competition and reality TV, of course. Its business is real, and the stakes for its employees are high. No phony projects or artificial contests here.

And oh, the suspense.

***

Tech executives figure prominently at Fortune’s MPW International Summit Montreal today. These include WP Engine’s Heather Brunner, Barbara Humpton of Siemens USA, IBM’s Ranit Aharonov, and Caroline Louveaux of Mastercard. Follow the event at Fortune.com.

About the Author
By Adam Lashinsky
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in Commentary


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.