Real Estate: Amazon is looking for a second and new HQ

Amazon has published an open call for cities to pitch it for business. The company wants to open "Amazon HQ2", a new hub that will mirror its enormous presence in Seattle, rather than act as a secondary location. That site in Washington state has grown to 33 buildings across 8.1 million square feet, housing more than 40,000 employees. All since 1994.

Amazon said in a company press release that it is looking specifically to build a second headquarters, or “HQ2,” in a metropolitan area with more than a million people, in close proximity to an international airport. The company stated it is seeking a location with “a stable and business-friendly environment” where there’s good “potential to attract and retain strong technical talent.” Amazon would like an urban campus setting, but it’s open to the suburbs as well, and said that HQ2 might feature a similar layout to its headquarters in Seattle, where roughly 40,000 employees are spread out over 33 buildings.

It will be an enormous endeavour, taking years of development. But instead of privately exploring locations, the company appears to want the whole process to be public and transparent.

“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters,” Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, said in a released statement. “Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home.”