Amazon HQ2 thread

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

But those places didn't have access to infrastructure to be a national mail-order catalog. Many cities had local automakers, but eventually your car company had to be in Detroit to survive.

Actually, the auto industry didn't *HAVE* to be in Detroit either

Henry Ford could have easily planted his seeds in Buffalo when perfecting the automobile and assembly line as we know it (which almost happened).

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by jd3189

Isn’t that Chicago point mute since Amazon was able to do the same thing Sears did but in Seattle. Therefore, especially in a more interconnected world today, location doesn’t matter as much anymore for logistics if you got connections everywhere.

Exactly.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by jd3189

Isn’t that Chicago point mute since Amazon was able to do the same thing Sears did but in Seattle. Therefore, especially in a more interconnected world today, location doesn’t matter as much anymore for logistics if you got connections everywhere.

Yes, this is true, but remember that Sears was founded in the 19th century.

I don't think Sears could have had their headquarters in, say, Boston, while having all of their operations in Chicago back in 1890.

Today? Sure, why not. But that's not how it was 130 years ago

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

Actually, the auto industry didn't *HAVE* to be in Detroit either

Henry Ford could have easily planted his seeds in Buffalo when perfecting the automobile and assembly line as we know it (which almost happened).

He would have eventually ended up in Detroit. All of the domestic auto industry eventually consolidated in Detroit for a reason.

[jd3189]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Yes, this is true, but remember that Sears was founded in the 19th century.

I don't think Sears could have had their headquarters in, say, Boston, while having all of their operations in Chicago back in 1890.

Today? Sure, why not. But that's not how it was 130 years ago

That’s right and I’m not disregarding the significance of the past, but it doesn’t really apply today. The 1890s only had trains and boats as the fastest things to establish global trade and logistics. Now we got planes, bigger boats, faster trains, and the Internet.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by 10023

Amazon is a logistics, IT and advertising platform.

And one of the single largest publishers on the planet, with the single largest publisher network on the planet.

And the world's third or fourth largest streaming service on any given day with 155 million daily users.

And the world's second largest cloud network.

And a content producer with larger annual original programming budgets than CBS, ABC, or NBC: an expected $8 billion a year by 2020, surpassing Netflix.

And above all else:

The single most powerful user data aggregator, bundler, and reseller on Earth. Amazon has deep, longitudinal purchase history, past behavior, and predicted behavior profiles on every person reading this sentence. Doesn't matter if you actually use Amazon: there are a myriad of ways to probabilistically model your behavior based on all the other signals you leave online every moment of every day. And they sell this data to anyone. To my company, so that we can target you all relentlessly with ads for stuff in categories we know you're on schedule to buy soon. To credit card companies. To banks. To thousands of other data vendors, who then repackage and resell at a markup again and again. To governments: police departments especially.

Amazon is unlike any other corporate entity we've seen to date. And if you think it's just an online resale platform . . . I have some nice oceanfront property in Montana you'd be perfect for.

[mhays]

...Also robotics and artificial intelligence...huge innovator whether it's delivery drones, warehouse automation, in-store tech, or the engines behind the data stuff Shawn said.

[10023]

Well I was trying to keep it simple, but yeah, not a retailer.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by 10023

Well I was trying to keep it simple, but yeah, not a retailer.

Totally, and I know you understand what Amazon really is. I just wanted to add on to your discription for those who really believe Amazon is only a retail platform.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by Shawn

And above all else:

The single most powerful user data aggregator, bundler, and reseller on Earth. Amazon has deep, longitudinal purchase history, past behavior, and predicted behavior profiles on every person reading this sentence. Doesn't matter if you actually use Amazon: there are a myriad of ways to probabilistically model your behavior based on all the other signals you leave online every moment of every day. And they sell this data to anyone. To my company, so that we can target you all relentlessly with ads for stuff in categories we know you're on schedule to buy soon. To credit card companies. To banks. To thousands of other data vendors, who then repackage and resell at a markup again and again. To governments: police departments especially.

Amazon is unlike any other corporate entity we've seen to date. And if you think it's just an online resale platform . . . I have some nice oceanfront property in Montana you'd be perfect for.

I hope people read this post...

Collecting, bundling, packaging, repackaging and selling to anybody that wants to buy your information. To Amazon's defense, they at least offer a convenient service. FaceBook offers nothing, but intrudes and has been abused in the worst way.

But, who cares? Be sure to buy that Echo Dot on Black Friday.

[skyscraperpage17]

Congrats DC?

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/11/01/tech/jeff-bezos-nyc-first-gala-hq2/index.html

"...The Amazon (AMZN) founder was interviewed by journalist and historian Walter Isaacson at an event Thursday hosted by First, a global nonprofit that aims to get young people interested in science and technology through robotics.

During the nearly 45-minute conversation on-stage, Bezos addressed the search for a city to build out its second headquarters — a new facility that is expected to create 50,000 jobs and cost $5 billion.


"Ultimately the decision will be made with intuition after gathering and studying a lot of data — for a decision like that, as far as I know, the best way to make it is you collect as much data as you can, you immerse yourself in that data but then you make the decision with your heart," Bezos told Isaacson..."

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by skyscraperpage17

Congrats DC?

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/11/01/tech/jeff-bezos-nyc-first-gala-hq2/index.html

for a decision like that, as far as I know, the best way to make it is you collect as much data as you can, you immerse yourself in that data but then you make the decision with your heart," Bezos told Isaacson..."

What heart?

[skyscraperpage17]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

what heart?

ha!

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

I hope people read this post...

Collecting, bundling, packaging, repackaging and selling to anybody that wants to buy your information. To Amazon's defense, they at least offer a convenient service. FaceBook offers nothing, but intrudes and has been abused in the worst way.

But, who cares? Be sure to buy that Echo Dot on Black Friday.

Facebook initially did offer a lot; it connected people. That was huge. It still does but it has since let in a lot of trash and become a troll factory rather than a place to post cat videos and play Farmville.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by JManc

Facebook initially did offer a lot; it connected people. That was huge. It still does but it has since let in a lot of trash and become a troll factory rather than a place to post cat videos and play Farmville.

Haha that made me literally LOL. I hated getting those requests/invites to play that, and I'm like for the 11th time NO, I don't wanna play f*cking Farmville!

And remember when people posted in 3rd person? That was so stupid!

[Baronvonellis]

Yea, I could connect with people around the world with facebook. But now people are so sensitive about everything, and if you say anything remotely political or want to have a debate with someone they will immediately block you and shun you. People used to be able to debate with people they didn't agree with on different issues. Now it's just a echo chamber and if you don't agree with them on everything you are just blocked and gone in a second.

[dubu]

wasnt it ebay back in the day? barely anyone used that, now everyone uses amazon. thats when forums were popular and there was just myspace.

[twister244]

Ugh, those comments from Bezos just makes me want this thing less now..... If there's any city outside Denver I would like to see it land in, it would be Chicago. I think Chicago would benefit the most from it, and given the abundance of relatively cheaper land and real estate there, the local impact would be much less than other cities on the list.

Originally Posted by Baronvonellis

Yea, I could connect with people around the world with facebook. But now people are so sensitive about everything, and if you say anything remotely political or want to have a debate with someone they will immediately block you and shun you. People used to be able to debate with people they didn't agree with on different issues. Now it's just a echo chamber and if you don't agree with them on everything you are just blocked and gone in a second.

Or, maybe it's because some of us use to enjoy Facebook for what it was when it originally started, a way to connect with your friends. Then... it got hijacked by corporate interests, those people in your family you don't care about or want to hear from, Russians, and people who feel like Facebook should be a political platform instead of a fun social networking site.

Don't get too attached to Amazon.... Yes, right now, they are on top of the world, but so was Sears back in the day. Companies aren't guaranteed to last forever. It's not hard for any given large company to lose site of what made them good in the first place and steer off course. Maybe Amazon will be an exception to this and evolve correctly, but maybe not.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by twister244

Ugh, those comments from Bezos just makes me want this thing less now..... If there's any city outside Denver I would like to see it land in, it would be Chicago. I think Chicago would benefit the most from it, and given the abundance of relatively cheaper land and real estate there, the local impact would be much less than other cities on the list.



Or, maybe it's because some of us use to enjoy Facebook for what it was when it originally started, a way to connect with your friends. Then... it got hijacked by corporate interests, those people in your family you don't care about or want to hear from, Russians, and people who feel like Facebook should be a political platform instead of a fun social networking site.

Don't get too attached to Amazon.... Yes, right now, they are on top of the world, but so was Sears back in the day. Companies aren't guaranteed to last forever. It's not hard for any given large company to lose site of what made them good in the first place and steer off course. Maybe Amazon will be an exception to this and evolve correctly, but maybe not.

Maybe Amazon will come to Chicago and build a tower taller than the Sears tower that will then change names when Amazon goes under and confuse everyone.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by twister244

Don't get too attached to Amazon.... Yes, right now, they are on top of the world, but so was Sears back in the day. Companies aren't guaranteed to last forever. It's not hard for any given large company to lose site of what made them good in the first place and steer off course. Maybe Amazon will be an exception to this and evolve correctly, but maybe not.

If Amazon is around even half as long as Sears, it will have been one of the most successful institutions in human history.