Amazon plans second North American headquarters dubbed 'HQ2'. The Seattle-based retail giant Amazon said Thursday it is planning to open a second company headquarters - dubbed HQ2 - and that it is soliciting bids from cities in North America. Preference will be given to cities with more than 1 million people. HQ2 is expected to house up to 50,000 employees and cost approximately $5 billion to build and operate. Ref. USAToday.