Atlanta was one of 20 cities Amazon named finalists for its second headquarters earlier this year but ultimately lost the bid to New York and the Washington, D.C. area.

Atlanta was one of 20 cities Amazon named finalists for its second headquarters earlier this year but ultimately lost the bid to New York and the Washington, D.C. area. / Flickr/CC

The details of Georgia's Amazon "HQ2" pitch were made public last week with the opening of a special legislative session at the state Capitol. Despite winning a spot among Amazon's top 20 contenders for the tech giant's second headquarters, Atlanta lost out in the end. The second headquarters — and the 50,000 jobs Amazon promised with it — will be split between Arlington, Virginia, and Queens in New York City.

Together, Georgia's state and local governments involved in the proposal offered Amazon more than $2 billion in publicly-funded incentives such as tax credits and infrastucture investments, matching what New York and Virginia together promised Amazon. Other municipalities, like Newark, New Jersey, and Montgomery County in Maryland, offered upward of $7 billion in tax incentives, subsidies and other incentives. So how did Atlanta, and other cities, lose to New York City and the Washington, D.C., area? "On Second Thought" host Virginia Prescott speaks with Maggie Lee and Ron Knox.

Freelance reporter Maggie Lee spoke with "On Second Thought" about the details of Georgia's Amazon HQ2 proposal. We also heard from Ron Knox, editor of the Global Competition Review, about how the company's dealings with cities paralleled its data collection from retailers who sell their products on Amazon's marketplace. He calls HQ2 an antitrust issue in Slate. 

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