Friday Funny: The Onion Imagines a Slightly Sympathetic Jeff Bezos

The Onion is satire, so we'll never know if Jeff Bezos felt sorry for any of the cities wasting time and money on a pitch to win Amazon's second headquarters.

1 minute read

October 27, 2017, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Bezos Center for Innovation at the Museum of History and Industry

cdrin / Shutterstock

Amazon made such a stir last week with the deadline for bids to lure its second headquarters that even the satirical news website The Onion couldn't help but notice and take pity on the dark horses among the 238 proposals forwarded to the attention of CEO Jeff Bezos.

The Onion's biting satire picks on Albany, New York a little, but let no one forget that 237 applicants will be disappointed when decision day arrives. The headline of the article: "Jeff Bezos’ Heart Breaks A Little Reading Albany’s Amazon Headquarters Pitch." While the satirical article is a little less than kind in poking fun at the community amenities Albany might be able to offer Amazon, its probably too sympathetic to Bezos in imagining him as heart broken upon reading the city's "sad presentation."

Then again, Albany sounds pretty nice where I'm sitting. Only Jeff Bezos and Amazon are suggesting it might not be good enough.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017 in The Onion

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20 - Streetsblog USA

Close-up on BLM sign on Continental Divide Trail in Rawlins, Wyoming.

BLM To Rescind Public Lands Rule

The change will downgrade conservation, once again putting federal land at risk for mining and other extractive uses.

April 20 - Public Domain

Calvary Street bridge over freeway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Indy Neighborhood Group Builds Temporary Multi-Use Path

Community members, aided in part by funding from the city, repurposed a vehicle lane to create a protected bike and pedestrian path for the summer season.

April 20 - Smart Cities Dive