With the Boston and Somerville bids among the 20 finalists for Amazon's second headquarters, many local tech leaders have expressed their enthusiasm — with few exceptions.
We gathered below the reactions we could find asking for comment via email and on social media:
For Donald Peck, CFO at WiTricity, Amazon’s move to Boston would be great news for the tech community, driving innovation, thought leadership and, of course, attracting top talent. Peck raises only one concern with hosting Amazon: traffic, parking and congestion. However, "We believe Amazon’s arrival could spur Boston to become an epicenter of innovation around a future of mobility that is electrified, shared and autonomous, which could significantly relieve Boston’s traffic problems and improve quality of life for the entire community.”
"For Amazon, a company that continues to grow at an unmatched rate yet maintains its startup hunger, Boston would be a clear choice," Greg Arnette, founder of Sonian, said in a statement. "Greater Boston is rooted in innovation and filled with some of the brightest minds and entrepreneurs one can find, all reasons why Sonian made its home here more than 10 years ago – and why it was able to grow so incredibly in that time. Wherever Amazon decides to locate, expect to see more competition between startups and Amazon for tech talent." Sonian, a cloud archiving and security startup based in Waltham, was acquired by Barracuda Networks for an undisclosed amount in November 2017.
"Amazon’s announcement that Boston is included in the list of 20 finalists for their HQ2 makes us more confident than ever in our own decision to make the city our second home as Decibel Insight continues to expand," Ben Harris, CEO of Decibel Insight, said in a statement. The company opened its Boston office in 2016.
Swapnil Shah, CEO of Lexington-based FirstFuel, pointed out that Amazon, which started as an online bookseller, has a track record of adding lines of business that no one would ever expect. Some of them resonate well with the Boston community. Amazon "has already expanded into energy, and given that Boston is a leader in cleantech, there will no doubt be some amazing synergies with Amazon's long-term growth. There are endless possibilities for what Amazon can achieve in Boston.”
Not all the reactions, however, have been positive. Ben Carcio, CEO of Boston-based brand-to-retailer commerce platform Promoboxx, let BostInno know that he's objecting to Amazon’s plan and consideration of Boston for its HQ2 for several reasons. First of all, Amazon HQ2 would make it harder for Boston startups to innovate, to attract and retain talent, according to Carcio. "We're already facing a skills gap. Talent that would otherwise help build startups and solve cutting-edge, real-world problems will be monopolized by the lure of Amazon and big company benefits. In a community that derives much of its identity from its innovation sector, this is a real threat," Carcio wrote. "We may very well see less benefits to the city, and a likely increase in negative side effects; namely increased traffic, pressure on our infrastructure, and skyrocketing rents."
