Amazon announced its plan to build a second headquarters in North America that will be equivalent to its current campus in Seattle, Washington.
The e-commerce giant will invest more than $5 billion for the construction and growth of its HQ2, which is expected to add as much as 50,000 high-paying jobs.
Amazon also expected its HQ2 to create tens of thousands of additional jobs and tens of billions of dollars in additional investments in communities that surround it. The company estimated that its additional investments in Seattle from 2010 to 2016 were $38 billion.
The global online retailer is requesting local and state government leaders to submit proposals for the project. The company said it is “performing a competitive site selection process.”
Amazon prefers metropolitan areas with more than one million people and stable and business-friendly environment. The e-commerce giant also prefers urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent, communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options.
The company said its HQ2 is not a satellite office. It is a complete Amazon headquarters therefore it will be hiring new teams and executives. It will also allow its existing senior leaders across the company to decide where to locate their teams.
Amazon employees currently working in its headquarters in Seattle have the option to continue working there or move to the HQ2.
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said the company’s leadership is “excited to find a second home,” which he expects to be a” full equal to our Seattle headquarters.”
Currently, the e-commerce giant has more than 40,000 employees at its Seattle headquarters with 33 buildings (8.1 million square feet of office spaces).
Amazon is growing exponentially. The company recently acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Earlier this year, the company promised to add 100,000 new full-time jobs in the United States by the middle of 2018. It recently held job fairs in ten locations in the country. It needs to fill 50,000 jobs particularly in its new fulfillment centers.
