Looks Like Amazon HQ2 Will Really be an HQ 2a and 2b

And after all of the supposed meetings, applications, a second round of cuts, and whatever else it did to help narrow down its second headquarters decision, a new report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that Amazon will ultimately decide to “evenly split” its HQ2 between two cities. This “surprise decision” was reportedly driven by the company’s need to recruit enough tech talent and to support its overall growth.

What that reads, to this tech editor, is that Amazon will likely opt to place 25,000 employees in or around Washington, DC—to help it “grow” (i.e. fight any potential regulations that may come down the line, and have staff in place to lobby on behalf of Amazon)—and another 25,000 in some other tech hub, perhaps Austin, New York, or the like.

The Wall Street Journal report, which said that Amazon is in “advanced talks” with a number of different cities, cites anonymous individuals who are familiar with those discussions and other HQ2 matters. Despite the advanced stages of those discussions, Amazon has yet to make any firm decisions, the report said.