Bidding for Bezos: Raleigh, NC Mayor Weighs in on Amazon HQ2
Amazon plans to invest over $5 billion and create 50,000 jobs for its new headquarters. Amazon HQ2 could ultimately change the economic trajectory of the winning city for years to come. Nancy McFarlane, Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, was with us to discuss the city's chances.
Amazon culled its list down from 238 to 20, Raleigh among them. Mayor McFarlane shared what she believes landed her city on the short list. The Mayor stressed that Raleigh is a great environment for a tech company to grow. Tech jobs in Raleigh have grown 38.5% from 2010-2015, second only to San Francisco and ahead of Austin, Boston, and other innovation hubs.
Amazon's presence transformed the real estate market in Seattle. In July, home prices in the city increased 13.5% compared to last year, according to reports. Mayor McFarlane said it would be part of the discussion if Amazon were to move in because maintaining affordable housing is a priority, but careful planning would help avoid the displacement of residents.
Longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is facing sharp questioning before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee where he is defending the company’s actions during an ongoing unionizing campaign.
Apple Pay is getting in on the buy now pay later boom with a feature allowing users to split purchases into four separate payments over six weeks at no additional cost or interest.
UBS says it’s bringing back former CEO Sergio Ermotti to lead the Swiss bank as it moves forward with a government-orchestrated plan to take over struggling rival Credit Suisse.
San Francisco-based technology startup Illumix just closed a $18 million Series A round of funding, and in a rare move for the Shark Tank star, Mark Cuban contributed.
Austin Graff, founder and CIO of Opal Capital in Austin, Texas, offers his take on why stocks opened higher Wednesday, saying investors appear tentatively optimistic about regulatory actions being taken around struggling banks, even as they remain worried about the long-term consequences of federal action on the sector. "
Credit Suisse violated a plea agreement with U.S. authorities by failing to report secret offshore accounts that wealthy Americans used to avoid paying taxes, U.S. lawmakers said Wednesday.
