NEW YORK — Amazon’s decision to walk away from New York City could scare off other tech companies considering moving to or expanding in the city.

That’s according to experts analyzing the e-commerce giant’s sudden cancellation of plans to build a massive headquarters in Queens. The decision on Thursday wipes out 25,000 promised jobs in a city that wants to be seen as the Silicon Valley of the East Coast.

Amazon abandoned the plan amid pushback from politicians who were angry about nearly $3 billion in tax breaks and the company’s anti-union stance.

Julie Samuels is executive director of industry group Tech: NYC. She says the city is “playing with fire” with regard to the message it sends to companies that want to come to New York and expand to New York. </s> Amazon said Thursday it decided to cancel its plans to build a new major campus in New York City.

Following a yearlong, public search for a new second headquarters dubbed HQ2, Amazon in November announced plans to build two 25,000-employee campuses, one in Long Island City, Queens, in New York, and another in Arlington, Virginia. Both locations were selected from over 200 bidders and were expected to receive $2.5 billion in investments from the e-commerce giant. Nashville was also selected to host a new 5,000-person "center of excellence."

But, the New York City campus received quick and persistent criticism from local union supporters, the New York City Council and a number of elected officials, including state Sen. Michael Gianaris, who represents Queens, and US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

"We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time," Amazon said Thursday. "We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada."

Several protests were staged against the planned campus and Amazon executives faced withering criticism during two City Council meetings, in which council members pilloried the company for its mostly non-union workforce and alleged work with US Immigration and Custom Enforcement. Amazon's incentives package of about $3 billion was also a major concern, especially because of the company's massive size and its CEO Jeff Bezos' perch as the world's richest person.

"Rather than addressing the legitimate concerns that have been raised by many New Yorkers, Amazon says you do it our way or not at all, we will not even consider the concerns of New Yorkers – that's not what a responsible business would do," Chelsea Connor, director of communications for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said in a statement Thursday.

The union has been a frequent critic of Amazon's working conditions and has partnered with Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island in their push to unionize.

Despite loud opposition to the plan, the company as recently as Friday said it was "focused on engaging with our new neighbors" on the project. A Quinnipiac poll from December also showed strong support for the new campus, with 60 percent of Queens residents approving of the project and 26 percent against it.

The company also received strong backing from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who pushed to get the highly coveted project. James Patchett, head of the New York City Economic Development Corp., also repeatedly argued for the massive benefits of the HQ2 project during the heated council meetings, saying it would protect New York from future recessions and be a boon for its development as a tech hub.

Here is the company's full statement:

After much thought and deliberation, we've decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City. We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion—we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture—and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams. We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can't speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult. We do not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada. Thank you again to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the many other community leaders and residents who welcomed our plans and supported us along the way. We hope to have future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time. </s> NEW YORK >> Amazon abruptly abandoned plans for a big new headquarters in New York that would have brought 25,000 jobs to the city, reversing course after politicians and others objected to the nearly $3 billion in tax incentives promised to the company.

NEW YORK >> Amazon abruptly abandoned plans for a big new headquarters in New York that would have brought 25,000 jobs to the city, reversing course after politicians and others objected to the nearly $3 billion in tax incentives promised to the company.

“We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York,” the online giant said in a blog post, adding that it already has 5,000 employees in the city and plans to increase that number.

The stunning reversal was a serious blow to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had lobbied intensely to land the project. The Seattle company had planned spend $2.5 billion building its new offices.

Amazon faced fierce opposition over the tax breaks, with critics complaining that the project was an extravagant giveaway to one of the world’s biggest companies and that it wouldn’t provide much direct benefit to most New Yorkers.

“This announcement marks a landmark victory for our communities and shows the power of the people, even when taking on the world’s richest man,” said Deborah Axt, co-executive director of the anti-poverty group Make the Road New York.

She said the Amazon was getting “taxpayer giveaways” so that it could “force its empire-building on our neighborhoods.”

Amazon said it does not plan to look for another headquarters location at this time and will continue with its plans to build new offices in Arlington, Virginia, and Nashville, Tennessee. The Arlington is expected to be the same size as the New York one, with 25,000 employees. The Nashville office is expected to have 5,000.

A Quinnipiac University poll released in December found New York City voters supported having an Amazon headquarters 57 percent to 26 percent. But they were divided over the incentives: 46 percent in favor, 44 percent against. </s> NEW YORK: Amazon.com Inc abruptly scrapped plans to build a headquarters in New York after opposition from local politicians and some of its would-be neighbors, the third most-valuable public U.S. company said on Thursday.

Amazon’s search for a second headquarters, which it described as HQ2, was deemed a massive, year-long public relations success, garnering worldwide publicity and interest from cities across the United States and Canada.

Accustomed to fawning advances from municipal leaders around the country, Amazon seemed startled by the brusque, even rude, welcome it got from some New Yorkers.

Some residents of the Queens neighborhood mounted protests. Politicians from the Democratic Party’s leftward flank, including the freshman U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, decried the state’s promise to give the company, controlled by the world’s richest man, billions of dollars in tax breaks.

People briefed on the decision said Amazon had made the decision early Thursday after intense talks starting Wednesday and amid rising concerns about the small vocal minority. The people said Amazon will not shift any of the planned jobs to Tennessee or Virginia but plans to grow its existing network of locations.

Amazon had planned to have 700 employees in New York as part of the HQ2 project by the end of the year and did not plan to hit 25,000 in Queens for 10 years.

Read More: Amazon reconsidering move to New York: report

The company had begun considering alternatives last week. The online retailer has not yet acquired any land for the project, which would make it easy to scrap its plans, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The proposal ran into opposition from local politicians who opposed the $2.8-billion in incentives promised to Amazon in a deal secretly negotiated by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

In a statement, de Blasio blamed Amazon for failing to address local criticism.

“We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world,” he said. “Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity.”

The company said, “for Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term.”

Some residents of the neighborhood, once a scruffy haunt of artists that has rapidly gentrified with a burst of recent high-rise development, had also opposed the plan.

Long-time residents feared being forced out by rising rents and untenable pressure on already overburdened subway and sewage systems.

Cuomo was a staunch advocate of the project, joking that he would change his name to Amazon Cuomo if it might help sweeten the deal. He touted not only the jobs it would create but the long-term tax revenues it would generate.

Mark Hamrick, a senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com, said the about-turn could spook other companies thinking about expanding in New York.

“This is a stunning development, with Amazon essentially giving in to vocal critics,” he said.

Amazon said Thursday it did not plan to re-open the yearlong search that drew 238 proposals from cities across North America.

Nashville, a finalist that was awarded a consolation prize of a 5,000-employee location, said it remained open to an expansion of Amazon’s plans in Tennessee.

Shares of Amazon were down 0.5 percent.

“I think the PR event turned out to be a mistake,” said Jason Benowitz, senior portfolio manager at the Roosevelt Investment Group, who owns Amazon shares.

“It went on for too long and started a frenzy. You can compare this to Google sinking billions of dollars into the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan without making noise or Apple investing in Austin.”

Rival Alphabet Inc’s Google said in December it plans to invest more than $1 billion on a new campus in New York to double its current headcount of more than 7,000 people.

Hours before the announcement, Amazon officials in New York betrayed no knowledge of the deal’s cancellation when they met with local community members on Thursday morning, said Kenny Greenberg, a neon artist and member of Long Island City’s community board.

“Either they are really good poker players or they were not aware,” Greenberg said of the Amazon representatives. “There was no hint of this at all.”

Greenberg said he had been open to Amazon’s arrival if it had led to improvements in infrastructure, but that “unanswered questions” continued to mount as time went on.

The meeting with Amazon officials had been held to answer concerns from the community about labor conditions for Amazon’s warehouse and delivery workers and the company’s opposition to labor unions.

“Defeating an unprecedented act of corporate welfare is a triumph that should change the way we do economic development deals in our city & state forever,” Jimmy Van Bramer, a city councilman from Queens who had opposed the project, said on Twitter.

One of the city’s most powerful private-sector unions, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said the company’s abrupt exit confirmed its criticisms.

“Rather than addressing the legitimate concerns that have been raised by many New Yorkers Amazon says you do it our way or not at all, we will not even consider the concerns of New Yorkers,” union spokeswoman Chelsea Connor said in a statement. “That’s not what a responsible business would do.”

Chicago, Miami and Newark are among the passed-over finalists that have expressed interest in another chance to become the home of an Amazon project. </s> Online giant cancels its plans to build campus in Queens, after tax break opposition and questions about unions

Amazon has cancelled plans to build one of its second headquarters in New York, after the e-commerce giant encountered unexpected opposition to its plans.

Amazon’s decision to create a second headquarters outside its Seattle home, had triggered a bidding war between various US states. Indeed, Washington DC at one stage had been widely tipped as leading the race for the location of Amazon’s second headquarters.

But in November Amazon chose Queens in New York, as well as a site in Northern Virginia for its two secondary headquarters – known collectively as HQ2.

Amazon’s plan had been to invest $5 billion in the construction and operation of the two campuses, including the creation of 50,000 new jobs.

All of this attracted huge interest from various US states, which offered all types of tax incentives to lure the firm to their state.

Amazon had previously admitted that economic incentives were a factor in its decision on where to locate HQ2, but it always said that attracting top talent was the leading driver.

And it didn’t take long for Amazon’s plans for one of its HQ2 locations in the Long Island City neighbourhood in Queens, to encounter some surprise opposition.

This opposition was evidenced earlier this week with the appointment of one of Amazon’s most vocal critics to a key post.

Michael Gianaris, the Democratic Senator who represents the Long Island City, Queens district was last week nominated to serve on the Public Authorities Control Board, a little-known state board that must approve New York City’s deal to bring Amazon to Queens.

The appointment would given Gianaris veto power over the deal, which he has previously said he opposes because of the $3 billion (£2.3bn) in state and city tax incentives it would give Amazon.

Gianaris argues other companies, such as Google and Apple, have launched ambitious expansion projects in New York City without such substantial tax breaks, an argument recently seconded by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Gianaris has also said Amazon’s move to New York was problematic because the company opposes unionisation.

He had called for the deal to be scrapped and for negotiations to begin again from scratch.

Meanwhile, it had emerged that Amazon was having second thoughts about the deal due to the unexpected hostility from Queens residents.

The company was reportedly very concerned about demands to allow its New York workers to unionise, according to an unnamed person cited by the FT.

This opposition prompted a rethink at Amazon, as it had yet to sign a formal lease for the Queens campus, and was therefore in a position to pull out of New York.

And now the firm has reportedly taken that decision, a decision revealed during a couple of phone calls.

Jay Carney, Amazon’s top policy executive, was quoted by Reuters as telling New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (who had been in favour of the Queens campus) that it would not go ahead with its plans.

Carney then told New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio the same shortly after.

The company said the decision came together only in the last 48 hours, made by its senior leadership team and Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, chief executive and the richest person in the world.

Gianaris has reportedly blamed Amazon for the decision to drop New York.

“Amazon never showed willingness to look seriously at the concerns that were raised,” he said.

Think you know all about Amazon? Try our quiz! </s> LONG ISLAND CITY, New York — It's Valentine's Day in New York, but love was not in the air when it comes to the city's relationship with Amazon.

On Thursday, Amazon announced it was abandoning plans to build a headquarters in Queens. The deal had faced major backlash from some New York activists and lawmakers, who slammed the $3 billion in tax incentives offered by the city and contended that the massive tech company moving in could worsen gentrification and the city's already struggling infrastructure.

BuzzFeed News went to Long Island City, the neighborhood where Amazon was supposed to move in, to ask its residents, as well as some anti-Amazon protesters, to share their messages to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. </s> NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 9: A protest message directed at Amazon is spray painted on a wall near a construction site January 9, 2019 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Last November, Amazon announced that it has chosen Long Island City and Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia as the two locations which will both serve as additional headquarters for the company. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

By JOSEPH PISANI, AP Retail Writer

 NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon says it will not be building a new headquarters in New York, a stunning reversal after a yearlong search.

 The online retailer has faced opposition from some New York politicians, who were unhappy with the tax incentives Amazon was promised.

 Amazon said Thursday it does not plan to look for another location, and will continue to build out offices in Arlington, Virginia, and Nashville, Tennessee. </s> As it turns out, those reports about Amazon reconsidering its plan to build one of its "HQ2s" in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City weren't just trial balloons intended as a warning to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to get his people in line.

Because in a Thursday announcement that will undoubtedly be heralded as a major victory by "Democratic Socialists" like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the e-commerce giant announced that it would scrap its plans to move to New York City, much to the chagrin of Cuomo and de Blasio, who signed off on a $3 billion package of "performance based" state, city and public-private incentives offered to Amazon.

Amazon shares have rallied in the aftermath of the announcement.

But the ramifications for New York State politics will be far more profound.

Amazon didn't mince words in its statement, placing the blame for its decision to deprive the state of what Cuomo's office once described as one of the biggest economic boons in recent decades squarely on the shoulders of progressive New York lawmakers who objected to the deal.

Specifically, lawmakers like AOC and confederates in the New York State legislature opposed the massive tax incentive package offered to Amazon (which came out to more than $40,000 in kickbacks for every job the company had promised to create) and the potential for the new campus to shift the gentrification process into overdrive (the main building would have been situated just blocks away from the Queensbridge Housing Project, America's largest public housing project.

After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture — and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams. We are deeply grateful to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and their staffs, who so enthusiastically and graciously invited us to build in New York City and supported us during the process. Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have worked tirelessly on behalf of New Yorkers to encourage local investment and job creation, and we can’t speak positively enough about all their efforts. The steadfast commitment and dedication that these leaders have demonstrated to the communities they represent inspired us from the very beginning and is one of the big reasons our decision was so difficult. We do not intend to re-open the HQ2 search at this time. We will proceed as planned in Northern Virginia and Nashville, and we will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada. Thank you again to Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and the many other community leaders and residents who welcomed our plans and supported us along the way. We hope to have future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time.

The decision to pull out of NYC comes after New York State lawmakers nominated one of the deal's fiercest opponents to a state board that would grant him the power to unilaterally kill the state component of the incentive package. NYC progressives and "Democratic socialists" like AOC can claim a major victory over their corporate adversaries. Queens real-estate brokers on the other hand are reacting with a mix of "shock, anger and disbelief"...

...As anyone and everyone who could sought to get in on the real estate buying frenzy, as speculators snapped up condos in the area.

However, New Yorkers who opposed the Amazon deal will probably be disappointed to find that driving away the e-commerce giant won't help fix the subway.

The prospect of luring Amazon to NYC was an all-consuming project for the Democrats who run the state. Cuomo and de Blasio set aside their fierce rivalry to work together to court Amazon, we wonder who will be the first to point the finger at their rival as what we imagine will become one of the most epic blame games in the history of New York politics.

Because it looks like Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has taken a break from snapping dick pics to send Cuomo and de Blasio a giant middle finger. </s> Mounting pressure against Amazon’s planned second headquarters in New York has led the e-commerce giant to scrap its ambitious project.

In a statement released Thursday, the Seattle-based company announced the decision to forego building a home in Long Island City, which was expected to bring in 25,000 corporate jobs to the area and speed along the redevelopment of the formerly industrial neighborhood. It was intended to be one of two future headquarters sites, along with Crystal City, Va., following a yearlong competition that saw major cities including Atlanta, Dallas and even one Canadian metropolis vying to house the retailer.

However, New York’s state and local leaders clashed over the nearly $3 billion in tax incentives the company would stand to gain in return, and City Council lawmakers have scrutinized the deal in a series of hearings that began late last year. (Separately, during a news conference last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo called the state Senate’s resistance to Amazon’s plan “governmental malpractice.”)

In its statement issued today, the e-tail giant explained, “For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.”

Amazon added: “We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people and culture — and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners and residents.”

The company further noted that it now employs more than 5,000 Amazon workers in the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island areas, and intends to continue growing those teams, though it gave no further specifics about its plans for New York.

Amazon did state that it will not reopen the search for another location, but will move forward with its Virginia headquarters as well as offices in Nashville, Tenn.

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Amazon cancels its New York City headquarters plans, citing opposition from activists and local politicians.