Amazon finishes New York affair on Valentine’s Day

Amazon, the biggest company in the US  with the richest man as its head, stunned New York by announcing it would no longer relocate its second headquarters to the city, which promised 25, 000 jobs and its $3bn tax incentives and $27bn in tax revenues over the next two decades.  Possible culprits include State Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Biaso and the local democratic party. The decision certainly dealt a heavy blow to a bid to discourage city off its reliance on Wall Street and give an edge in tech.

Gary La Barbera, leader of the Buildings and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella group of construction unions, had been expecting the Amazon headquarters to yield 5000 jobs for his tradesmen “ The economic multiplier of this is incalculable.”

As the deal began to slip last week, Mr Cuomo blamed local politicians for pandering to save their own skins.

The state’s democratic party is being strained by the rise of progressive wing led by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, that is inflamed by concerns about the gentrification of working-class neighbourhoods.