Masks are worn outside the Amazon spheres in downtown Seattle. (Getty Images)
After endless attacks from Seattle’s city council, e-commerce giant Amazon seems set to push for further expansion outside of Seattle. This could have crippling economic consequences for the city.
In a daily survey of Puget Sound employees, Amazon asked its workers where they would prefer to work, in addition to Bellevue and Seattle. The options provided were Bothell / Woodinville, Renton, Tacoma, Redmond, and Issaquah. Amazon has confirmed the interview, screenshots of which appeared on social media and Reddit, is authentic.
Amazon has already expanded to Bellevue. They may be ready to go any further.
The shrinking Amazon footprint in Seattle
Behind the scenes I am told Amazon is tired of the Seattle City Council’s attitude towards the company. The company is not only accused of the misery of the city – from affordability to housing to traffic – but its CEO, Jeff Bezos, is often used as a poster site for dangerous anti-capitalist attacks at the hands of socialist zealot Kshama Sawant.
And then, of course, the legislation was drafted to specifically target Amazon and similar companies.
Recently, the Council passed another anti-corporate tax, this one council tax Teresa Mosqueda’s work tax, dubiously titled JumpStart Seattle.
Amazon, and other qualifying companies, will be taxed 1.4% for each employee who makes more than $ 150,000, and 2.4% for employees who make more than $ 400,000. After it passed, experts noted that it would probably push Amazon to close the city.
“I think there’s no doubt that over the next few weeks we will hear several announcements of some massive expansion by Amazon to Bellevue,” Windermere Chief Economist Matthew Gardner told KIRO Radio at the time. “Truly, it’s going to be one of those really bad secrets.”
An Amazon spokesman would not comment on the record.
How Bellevue turned Amazon over to the East Side
‘I would definitely go’
One Amazon employee, who spoke to the Jason Rantz Show about KTTH on condition of anonymity, did not blame the company for considering a move or expansion elsewhere.
“Amazon seems to be evaluating the options for moving out of Seattle as needed,” the employee explained. ‘I think it’s clear to everyone who lives in Seattle that our local officials only know how to blame others for problems that our city’s public policy has created. The success of Amazon despite the failures of the Seattle city government makes Amazon an easy target if they are looking for someone to blame. “
The employee said if they were the only decision maker, “I would absolutely minimize my footprint in Seattle.”
Coronavirus is changing business
Amazon routinely polls employees as they plan their long-term growth in and out of the region. But during the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon, like many other companies, saw success with a work-from-home model.
Vendor REI recently decided to close its future headquarters on Bellevue grounds for a hybrid approach to smaller satellite agencies and opportunities for remote work.
The data they gathered from this interview, along with what they learned from the remote model they adopted, could make them less dependent on operations in Seattle. This would allow their workforce to live in more affordable cities that are not plagued by homelessness, addiction and lawless activists.
Amazon departure could hurt Seattle’s economy
It is unclear if Amazon would completely close Seattle to a neighboring city. It is also unlikely in the short term. But any decline in the Amazon footprint could further destroy the Seattle economy. And it’s important to note that this interview went to employees of the areas, including those in Seattle. That said, those working in Seattle who say they want to leave Seattle play a crucial role in the future of Amazon’s footprint in Emerald City.
Projections for revenue for the city took another major hit – $ 26 million – thanks to the coronavirus. Companies exclusively supported by Amazon employees have difficulty. Some are already permanently closed. If Amazon allows its Seattle workers to work longer hours from home than expected, which cuts down on the maintenance and upkeep costs of their offices, the economic effects will be felt. And, if they closed offices, it would be devastating.
Meanwhile, cities like the one mentioned in the Amazon poll would see significant economic benefits at a time when they needed it most. Bellevue has earned Amazon’s attention – and expansion – for business and is less driven by ideological rigidity.
Rantz: Coronavirus afraid of shadows affects when Amazon leaves Seattle
Listen to the Jason Rantz Show this afternoon from 3-6pm on KTTH 770 AM (as HD Radio 97.3 FM HD Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow @JasonRantz op Twitter and Instagram or like me on Facebook.
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