Amazon was greedy

In Opinion

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio writes, "Amazon’s path in New York would have been far smoother had it recognized our residents’ fears of economic insecurity and displacement — and spoken to them directly." https://t.co/4dqDBkSUAe

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 16, 2019

So Amazon isn't coming to New York. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Let me tell you a secret: NOBODY KNOWS 1/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) February 16, 2019

This chart makes a pretty compelling argument that the federal corporate tax code is broken. Amazon paid no federal taxes on profits of $11 billion last year. https://t.co/uBetm7QQGh pic.twitter.com/iJwoLrA9vs

— Christopher Ingraham (@_cingraham) February 16, 2019

This is key to Amazon's decision as we understand it:

Executives were confident the deal would one day be approved.

But they were looking at decades in a political climate in which everything they did would be scrutinized.

So they said no thanks.https://t.co/UtvdOkZFUC

— J. David Goodman (@jdavidgoodman) February 15, 2019

Here's the deal. NYC is not in desperate need of jobs. Unemployment is low. If you are reasonably healthy, you can get a job.

NYC needs affordable housing and a functioning transit system. This is what Amazon's defenders do not get.

— Ross Barkan (@RossBarkan) February 15, 2019

I've read a lot of these Amazon post-mortems.

Not a one addresses displacement. After the news of Amazon's move to LIC people in adjacent neighborhoods – Astoria, etc- were handed two year lease renewals where the 2nd year (amazon year) leases jumped 800+ https://t.co/NO1teIbj2R

— Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis (@KendraWrites) February 16, 2019

"It has taken far-left protesters to inject a measure of sanity into the free market." Amazon got exactly what it deserved, argues @dkthomp, and so did New York City: https://t.co/eY78Mgh6VA

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) February 17, 2019

New York mayor says Amazon headquarters debacle was 'an abuse of corporate power' https://t.co/BdNixJnpa5 pic.twitter.com/6Kck48vKTp

— CNN (@CNN) February 17, 2019

Amazon faced blistering criticism for pitting cities against one another in a bidding war for incentives, and for accepting a $3 billion subsidy package from the winner, New York, writes @amy_liuw. But the role of public officials deserves more scrutiny. https://t.co/gS45dNC2aT

— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) February 16, 2019

Opinion | Amazon abandoning New York should be just the start of the scrutiny they face https://t.co/e1Iy6H82wi via @NBCNewsTHINK

— Zephyr Teachout (@ZephyrTeachout) February 15, 2019