Instead, they privately already have 2 or 3 particular cities in mind and the other 18 cities are just there for negotiating leverage for the 2 they really want. The problem is that the cities themselves don't know if they're "really in contention" or just "disposable chess pieces".
Again, that's just my guess.
Even in Seattle, programmers make up well less than half of Amazon's personnel.
Judging by your recent comments, you've been working there for about a couple of weeks at best. Get back to me when you've been around long enough for your RSUs to vest.
Got affordable housing in your metro? Amazon can fix that!
As I understand it from stories people told me when I lived there for a few years, South Lake Union was a lower-rent district near the lake where younger single people lived that weren't attracted to the lifestyle on Capitol Hill but didn't make enough to live downtown proper or on Queen Anne or Magnolia hills. Now those people commute 45 minutes on the train from Everett or wait in traffic coming south on the heavily congested I-5 or west across the heavily congested Lake Washington Bridges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_b...
Not sure if any of his childhood stomping grounds are going to get much favoritism.