Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • July 2021
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Amazon HQ2

By: James K. Sebenius and Ben Cook
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:13
ShareBar

Abstract

Amazon’s failed bid for a second headquarters location (“HQ2”) in Long Island City, New York offers many lessons for negotiators looking to avoid similar high-profile defeats in strategically important deals. The company’s project – which promised to bring billions of dollars in net new tax revenue and thousands of jobs to the city – initially enjoyed widespread support on the ground, alongside vocal advocacy from political elites at the state and local level. But after the proposal was announced, a relatively small cohort of passionate opponents organized to pressure a key set of lawmakers into opposing the deal, ultimately leading the company to withdraw its offer. Amazon’s HQ2 derailment at the hands of these well-organized activists, and its failure to mobilize its broad base of support in useful ways, mark a striking example of the potential pitfalls dealmakers face when negotiating large-scale projects in the public eye.

Keywords

Buildings and Facilities; Negotiation; Public Opinion; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Problems and Challenges

Citation

Sebenius, James K., and Ben Cook. "Amazon HQ2." Harvard Business School Case 922-009, July 2021.
  • Educators
  • Purchase

About The Author

James K. Sebenius

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • November 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Steve Schwarzman on Dealmaking II: When They Hold All the Cards (B)

    By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green
    • November 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Steve Schwarzman on Dealmaking II: When They Hold All the Cards (A)

    By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green
    • November 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Steve Schwarzman on Dealmaking I: “Becoming a ‘Friend of the Situation’” (B)

    By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green
More from the Authors
  • Steve Schwarzman on Dealmaking II: When They Hold All the Cards (B) By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green
  • Steve Schwarzman on Dealmaking II: When They Hold All the Cards (A) By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green
  • Steve Schwarzman on Dealmaking I: “Becoming a ‘Friend of the Situation’” (B) By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College