When the online retailer Amazon announced earlier this month that they're searching for a home for their second headquarters, some thought San Antonio would be a perfect fit, but one of the biggest names in the local tech economy now says, it's a long shot, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"We have the population and the smarts for it, but we're ten years behind those other cities," Graham Weston tells News Radio 1200 WOAI.
The man who helped build Rackspace into a digital giant says it's important to understand why San Antonio is not a great fit for Amazon.
"When you look at the cities we're competing against, they're double our size. They have a public transportation system that is a requirement for (Amazon). I think that we don’t have enough of an evolution on a lot of the points they're looking for," he explains.
Never the less, San Antonio will bid for the project, which would be transformative.
"We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, in a statement. "Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home."
In their announcement, Amazon laid out how impactful the business has been on their first home, Seattle. There are 40,000 employees, and a $38 billion impact on the economy.
Weston says, even with long odds, it's important for San Antonio to bid.
"Here is a real acid test of what one of the world's leading companies wants, and we should examine ourselves closely and then go for it. Let’s lay out a new strategy."
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