On Thursday, February 14, 2019, Amazon representative, Jodi Seth, announced that Amazon would not be moving forward with the plans to build a headquarters in Queens, New York.

The company explained its decision in a blog post stating that in order to build a headquarters they would need, “positive, collaborative relationships with state and local officials.” The company further elaborated in a statement made, explaining that they received a lot of pushback from a number of state and local politicians. Amongst the politicians opposing the company were, U.S. Representative Awasndria Ocasio-Cortez and New York State Senator, Michael Gianaris. Many politicians disagreed with the $3 billion dollar state and city tax incentives that were to be given to Amazon in exchange for creating jobs.

Although Amazon had its opposers, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, encouraged Amazon’s initial plan to build their headquarters in New York. Both Cuomo and Blasio hoped that Amazon would bring a much needed diversity to the city’s economy. Along with strengthening the economy, the company was projected to bring in over 25,000 jobs.

As of right now, Amazon has stated that they are no longer looking for a location to replace New York, rather they plan to move forward with a second headquarters in Virginia. Amazon has also stated that they would continue investing in its existing New York City teams.