Economy
The Underdogs Bidding on Amazon HQ2
Why are small, long-shot cities, who on the surface don’t seem to meet at least one of Amazon’s threshold criteria, putting their hats in the ring?
This September, Danbury, Connecticut’s mayor and Frisco, Texas’s, mayor both released videos asking a charming, robotic personal assistant variations of the same question: “Alexa, where should Amazon HQ2 go?” To Danbury’s Mayor, Alexa says, obediently, “Danbury, Connecticut.” To Frisco’s, Alexa declares “Frisco.”
Other larger cities subsequently co-opted the same stunt, but Danbury and Frisco are bound by a unique sort of competitive spirit: in the quest for Amazon’s second headquarters, they’re long-shot bidders.