Amazon HQ2

Amazon HQ2 is Amazon's corporate headquarters in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia and is an expansion of the company's headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Phase I, which has capacity for 14,000 employees, opened in June 2023. Construction on Phase II is delayed and there is no timeline for development.

HQ2 was announced in September 2017, when Amazon submitted request for proposals to governments and economic development organizations asking for tax breaks and other incentives to entice the company. Amazon claimed that it intended to spend $5 billion on construction and that HQ2 would house 50,000 workers when completed. More than 200 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States eventually offered tax breaks, expedited construction approvals, promises of infrastructure improvements, new crime-reduction programs, and other incentives. On January 18, 2018, a shortlist of 20 finalists was announced, after which the candidate localities continued to detail or expand their incentive packages.

On November 13, 2018, Amazon announced that HQ2 would be split into two locations, with 25,000 workers at each: National Landing in Arlington County, Virginia, and Long Island City in Queens, New York City. Virginia would provide as much as $750 million in taxpayer subsidies. New York planned to give Amazon tax breaks of at least $1.525 billion, cash grants of $325 million, and other incentives. In February 2019, Amazon cancelled the New York location after strong opposition from local grassroots organizers, residents and politicians. The project has drawn criticism as an example of corporate welfare.

After having touted flowery projections of job growth and economic benefits, Amazon HQ2 fell far short of the project's 2023 job projections.