Amazon kicks off competition for new HQ

Officials from Toronto, Texas, Maryland and Chicago were among those who said they planned to try to win Amazon's new venture. The e-commerce giant is seeking a base for as many as 50,000 workers. It said it plans to spend $5bn (3.8bn) on the project over 15-17 years. Opportunities to compete for headquarters projects are nearly unheard of in the US at the scale Amazon envisions, experts said. By comparison General Electric plans to move 800 people to a new headquarters in Boston.