New York Mayor blames Amazon: ’You have to be tough to make it here’

Amazon shocked everyone on Thursday when it announced it was halting plans to build a second headquarters in New York City's Long Island City neighborhood.

While local opposition celebrated the unexpected announcement, one supporter of the project -- Mayor Bill de Blasio -- was less than thrilled.

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In a statement, Mayor de Blasio shared his disappointment in Amazon for its change of plans, in which the company essentially backed out of a $3 billion dollar tax incentive deal made with New York. The mayor puts the blame squarely on the e-commerce giant for failing to address locals’ concerns and taking the easy way out by dropping the move altogether.

The mayor’s full statement on Amazon’s cancelled HQ2 is below:

You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity. We have the best talent in the world and every day we are growing a stronger and fairer economy for everyone. If Amazon can’t recognize what that’s worth, its competitors will.

Amazon thanked Mayor de Blasio for his support in its announcement on Thursday. The company ended its statement by saying it hoped to have “future chances to collaborate as we continue to build our presence in New York over time.”

Along with the billions of dollars tax incentives, one common criticism from local New York politicians and activists over the HQ2 deal was the company’s anti-union stance in a city that is firmly pro-labor.

It remains to be seen whether Governor Amazon Cuomo will also release a statement that sounds inspired by Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.”