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Amazon Dumps NYC Headquarters

Last week, the online e-commerce giant decided to withdraw its plans for its Long Island City HQ. The decision came after receiving the objections raised by politicians and activists regarding the tax breaks the company was promised to receive in exchange for building its new HQ in the city. The promised tax breaks amounted to almost $3 billion.

While many people were disappointed, some celebrated Amazon’s decision. One of them is Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City’s new liberal firebrand. Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet, “Today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers and their neighbors defeated Amazon‘s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world.”

Among those who were disappointed is Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one of the main people who lobbied for the online giant to build its new HQ in New York. Cuomo had to compete against 200 other metropolitan areas in order to land the project that would’ve brought jobs to thousands of New Yorkers. “A small group of politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community,” Cuomo said.

The new project could have reportedly helped “diversify the city’s economy, cement its status as an emerging tech hub and generate money for schools, housing, and transit.” Amazon wrote in a blog post announcing its decision, “We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion— we love New York.”

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