As Amazon continues to assess the 20 locations on its shortlist for its second headquarters ahead of its self-imposed year-end deadline, CEO Jeff Bezos said the decision is ultimately one you make "with your heart."
In an on-stage interview in New York on Thursday with journalist and author Walter Isaacson, Bezos did not leave any hints about which of the cities on his shortlist he is leaning toward for HQ2. But he clarified that after Amazon has all the data to back up its options, in the end the decision will come down to a gut feeling.
"Ultimately the decision will be made with intuition after gathering and studying a lot of data," Bezos said. "[T]he best way to make it is you collect as much data as you can, you immerse yourself in that data, but then you make that decision with your heart."
Over the past few months, Amazon executives have reportedly revisited several of the locations on its shortlist, including Newark, New Jersey, New York City and Chicago, according to an October report in The Wall Street Journal.
As a reminder, these are the 20 locations currently in the running:
- Atlanta
- Austin, Texas
- Boston
- Chicago
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas
- Denver
- Indianapolis
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Montgomery County, Md.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Newark, N.J.
- New York City
- Northern Virginia
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Raleigh, N.C.
- Toronto
- Washington, D.C.
