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Amazon HQ2 might be headed to Washington, DC, so we asked local startups what they thought about the move — here's what they said
Amazon is close to announcing the location of its second North American headquarters. While many local startups value the company's ability to attract new talent, they share a few concerns.
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In September 2017, Amazon revealed its plan to build a second North American headquarters. The new location, known as HQ2, is expected to bring
When Amazon relocated its headquarters to Seattle's South Lake Union in 2010, the company was far from the behemoth it is today. City planners estimated that the company's of office space would bring around 6,000 new employees to the area a number that has since risen to around 45,000.
the new location is located just 15 minutes away from the old one,the economic impact was almost immediate. Apartments began springing up in place of smaller buildings, low-rise offices gave way to towering skyscrapers, and crumbling roads transformed into pristine walkways and green spaces.
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These changes didn't just benefit Amazon workers.
But assomething else happened: Traffic increased, housing costs skyrocketed, and the number of homeless people on the streets reached crisis levels. Recent years have seen a string of cafés, bars, restaurants, and local retail shops shutter their doors amid rising rents. A sign outside
But local entrepreneurs aren't convinced that Amazon will do more harm than good.
Like many residents, Ajit Verghese was initially worried about the company locating in Washington, DC. "I pretty much thought, 'This is going to be bad,'" he said. Having witnessed the deleterious effects of the first internet wave on DC's congestion and infrastructure, Verghese feared that an Amazon headquarters would once again place a strain on local resources.
He has since changed his tune. As a general partner at humble ventures, a venture cooperative that connects startups to large companies, Verghese has found that many startups are optimistic about the arrival of Amazon. If the company does move to DC, he said, it could add a number of smart, driven employees to the tech ecosystem.
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he Dulles and Ronald Reagan airports already rank among the top 25 busiest airports in the US, their air traffic pales in comparison to that of Atlanta, LA, or Chicago.
Even without the presence of Amazon, the Washington, DC subway system, or Metro, is notoriously lousy. Fr
Local startups may even be inspired to help out. "
Not all startups are unflinchingly optimistic about HQ2. According to
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