Amazon HQ2 search has a 'hidden variable' - Business Insider: LeRoy, who has been following Amazon's HQ2 search from the beginning, says there's something missing from most people's bets on where Amazon will select. He calls it the "hidden variable."
"We don't know what Bezos is going to acquire next, or where he thinks the company is gonna grow the most next," LeRoy said to Business Insider. "If we did have that information, it might suggest particular places that have comparative advantages in those niches. But since we don't know, it's all a guessing game."
Whatever this hidden variable is, it could be the thing that would, all else being equal, swing Amazon's choice from one city to the next. It's Amazon's next big, secret project — one that hasn't been reported at all and might even be in the very earliest stages of development.
Think New York having the advantage as Amazon moves into advertising or finance, or Chicago having an advantage if Amazon wants to beef up its relationships with food suppliers. Chicago is home to a good number of food-producing companies' corporate headquarters.
"We don't know what Bezos is going to acquire next, or where he thinks the company is gonna grow the most next," LeRoy said to Business Insider. "If we did have that information, it might suggest particular places that have comparative advantages in those niches. But since we don't know, it's all a guessing game."
Whatever this hidden variable is, it could be the thing that would, all else being equal, swing Amazon's choice from one city to the next. It's Amazon's next big, secret project — one that hasn't been reported at all and might even be in the very earliest stages of development.
Think New York having the advantage as Amazon moves into advertising or finance, or Chicago having an advantage if Amazon wants to beef up its relationships with food suppliers. Chicago is home to a good number of food-producing companies' corporate headquarters.