[orangecat]

you're suggesting that the handout was baked in from the get go because the HQ was in Queens, and Amazon being Amazon had nothing to do with it?

Mostly, yes. About $2.5 billion of the tax benefits were "as of right", meaning they're available to any company that fulfills certain requirements. There was also a separate Amazon-specific $500 million grant to assist with construction. More details at http://www.gothamgazette.com/state/8110-a-closer-look-at-the...

If that's the case, the media have done a terrible job reporting this.

Shocking, isn't it?

[sublupo]

So then what was the point of the heavily publicized hq2 search? If, in the end, Amazon chose a deal that was available to everyone, then what did they negotiate?

[tedunangst]

Other cities could attempt to beat NYC's standing offer.