This Wasn’t Actually a Great Week for Amazon

We’ve read all about the top contenders for Amazon HQ2 and the long-shots; the hopeful small cities and the smug, orange-hued, big ones. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly of what those cities are willing to do to secure the mega-deal—even faced with the possibility that Amazon might end up getting more than it gives, cities still can’t resist its (incredibly wealthy) charm.

Somewhat buried underneath this bidding-war news-muck, however, were two more troubling bits of Amazon news. On Tuesday, Amazon Studios CEO Roy Price resigned amid accusations of sexual harassment; and on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that a major Amazon competitor, Walmart, has plans to launch an online retail store in partnership with Lord & Taylor. As the bidding deadline for Amazon HQ2 drew to a close Thursday night, another conceivable worst-case scenario emerged for cities vying for HQ2: the reminder that Amazon, however mighty, isn’t invincible.