Amazon HQ2 cities list: Utterly predictable game of musical chairs

Why didn't it turn the process of choosing a new head office into a free-publicity gig?

So I saw the Amazon list. And what’s really interesting is that without my saying more, you know exactly what list I mean. Not the list of Amazon’s best-sellers or best deals. The list of cities that are finalists for HQ2, the fabled El Dorado sought by local politicians across the country — the second Amazon.com Inc. headquarters that carries among its rewards 50,000 high-paying jobs and $5 billion in investment.

Amazon released the list this week. And, like lots of people who’ve taken a look, I was left underwhelmed. Because what immediately struck me is how conventional it is. Amazon