SEATTLE — Amazon has decided to split its second headquarters (HQ2) location between two cities, instead of creating one HQ2 facility, according a source who spoke to The Wall Street Journal.
According a person familiar with the company’s plans, the driving factor behind the new decision to create two equal offices is the ability to recruit the best tech talent from various geographical regions. Additionally, the decision will ease the potential community issues regarding housing and transit for potentially thousands of new employees in one specific city.
Under the new plan, Amazon will create two equal HQ2 facilities, each with approximately 25,000 employees.
While Amazon has not announced its final decision, it is in late-stage discussions with several cities — Crystal City in Northern Virginia, Dallas and New York City as front runners — according to The Wall Street Journal, and a decision may be announced as early as this week.
Amazon plans to view all three of its main U.S offices as headquarters with similar executive and back-office functions, notes a person familiar with the decision. However, the split means the company is creating two smaller offices than its 45,000-employee Seattle headquarters.