https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/43znnn/amazon-wont-build-hq2-in-new-york-but-it-will-continue-grifting-taxpayers-elsewhere > After months of opposition from local politicians, tech industry activists, and residents, Amazon announced Thursday that it would not be building a massive new campus in Queens, New York after all. It’s a win for millions of New York state taxpayers, who were poised to give the richest man on Earth $1.7 billion in incentives and subsidies. > Amazon’s much-hyped “HQ2” search was a sweepstakes to see which cities would give it the best subsidies, tax breaks, and other handouts to build there. Today's news is a huge for the people of New York, and a big win for activists, but it is not the end of the era of massive subsidies for big companies.