The online giant’s mixed reputation in its home city offers lessons for what Northern Virginia can expect.
The Spheres at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, shown in mid-March. By Robert McCartney Robert McCartney Senior regional correspondent covering government and politics Email Bio Follow April 8 at 4:50 PM SEATTLE — On an upper floor of Amazon’s Day 1 tower, foosball tables and beanbag games dot the shared spaces filled with mostly young employees and, occasionally, their dogs.
Earl Lancaster, the owner of Earl's Cuts and Styles, works at his temporary shop in Seattle’s Central District. Amazon’s rise in Seattle has earned it a mixed reputation as both a progressive-minded economic godsend for the city and a self-centered behemoth contributing too little to address the disruption it helped create, analysts say.The online retail giant has created 45,000 jobs here, a welcome investment in this city of 725,000 people.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” said Lancaster, 51. “A lot of businesses that were here, they can’t afford to stay around anymore.” Zsolt Martin works inside the Amazon Spheres in Seattle. “I don’t think it was ever anyone’s intention . . . to displace anyone,” said John Schoettler, vice president of global real estate for Amazon. “It comes down to basic economics, and supply and demand. . . . We don’t have enough supply for the demand of housing.”
The company has won applause for its urban “placemaking,” or locating its dozens of buildings in downtown neighborhoods rather than isolated suburban campuses. Its buildings in the South Lake Union and Denny Triangle districts have dining facilities capable of holding only a third of the employees at each facility, to encourage workers to venture out and patronize neighborhood establishments.
Accused of being stingy in its philanthropy, Amazon has made contributions to causes such as fighting family homelessness and supporting public schools. Bezos, whose net worth is at least $107 billion based on his Amazon holdings alone, increased his individual philanthropic giving in September by announcing that he and his then-wife, MacKenzie, would contribute $2 billion to a fund to assist homeless families and preschools for low-income communities. The fund’s first round of donations, for homeless families, totaled $97.5 million for organizations in 16 states and the District of Columbia, according to its website. One award of $2.
“There were a lot of areas that saw a massive injection of wealthy people,” Thomas said. “Rents went up. We also saw a spike in evictions. Affordable housing started to decline.” The most visible social impact has been the increase in homelessness. Hundreds of tents for homeless people can be seen along the region’s freeways and in city parks.
Like Adam, she does not bear a grudge against Amazon, but she said the company could pay more attention. A bike-share rider is seen in front of a Goodwill retail store in South Lake Union. But Myers said the debate over the tax to help fight homelessness also revealed Seattle’s respect and appreciation for Amazon. Polls show most of the public opposed the tax, leading the City Council to reverse itself and repeal the measure a month after it was approved.
Over the past five years, Seattle has ranked third in the nation in the widening of the income gap between the richest 20 percent of households and the poorest 20 percent, according to an analysis of census data by Bloomberg News. San Francisco and San Jose ranked first and second, respectively.
इंडिया ताज़ा खबर, इंडिया मुख्य बातें
Similar News:आप इससे मिलती-जुलती खबरें भी पढ़ सकते हैं जिन्हें हमने अन्य समाचार स्रोतों से एकत्र किया है।
Amazon and Whole Foods are cutting prices againAmazon is slashing prices on hundreds of products at Whole Foods for the third time in two years.
और पढो »
Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market cutting prices on hundreds of items starting WednesdayPrices will be reduced by an average of 20% on select items throughout Whole Foods Market starting April 3.
और पढो »
Amazon plans broad price cuts at Whole Foods this weekAmazon.com Inc. is planning to cut prices on hundreds of items at Whole Foods stores this week, as the e-commerce giant seeks to change the chain’s high-cost...
और पढो »
Cramer: My sources at Amazon indicate to me they'll do whatever it takes to undercut Walmart'Amazon will stop at nothing to take away the share that Walmart has gained,' CNBC's Jim Cramer says.
और पढो »
Amazon is using smaller warehouses in big cities to efficiently fulfill ordersAmazon's NYC warehouse is 20% smaller than its average locations — but able to facilitate 50% more inventory using twice as many human and robot workers:
और पढो »
Amazon And Alibaba Save The Boeing 757Now entering their golden years, many of the 640 or so remaining 757-200s in service are finding new lives as freighter aircraft thanks to the e-commerce boom.
और पढो »
Amazon the best company to work for in the UK right now, LinkedIn saysIsabelle Roughol, editor-at-large at LinkedIn, discusses the professional networking site's list of best companies to work for in the U.K.
और पढो »
Bye-bye, 'Whole Paycheck'? Amazon's Whole Foods Market cutting prices starting WednesdayPrices will be reduced by an average of 20% on select items throughout Whole Foods Market starting April 3.
और पढो »
A full EU probe into Amazon could come in the next few months, top official saysIn September, Margrethe Vestager, the head of competition policy in Europe, opened a preliminary probe into Amazon's use of data on its third-party merchants.
और पढो »