Amazon Launches $2bn Housing Equity Fund to Make 20k Homes (opens in new tab)

They're building apartments right next to their warehouses? I can't imagine anything more depressing than being fully surrounded by a megacorp that dominates every aspect of your life.

For future's sake I hope they make these places a bargain and empower their employees, however that seems like a pipe dream.

That comes out to $100,000 per unit, which is below the median cost of an apartment unit ($201,978) or a detached home ($303,515). If they can pull it off it'll be a triumph, but their goal is very ambitious.

Housing as a service

This will literally be a return to the 19th century real life examples of oligarchs determining almost every aspect of their workers' lives. The only thing missing is an in-house currency.

I'd rather Amazon and other companies decentralize their presence away from a few locations, and instead invest in the economy of other smaller locations. The benefit to those seeking affordable housing conditions is that this will reduce price pressures on highly-desirable locations by making other places also economically desirable (and moving housing demand around). The money spent on affordable housing will also go a lot further in those locations.

My selfish reasons for wanting this is that the Seattle area has become worse in many ways since Amazon became big - increased density has led to terrible traffic, crowded parks, impossible parking, neighborhoods that have lost their charm, changing politics, and other issues. Some may view those things as a positive, but I think most long-term residents of Seattle probably disagree.