RALEIGH – Gov. Roy Cooper took questions from reporters at a press gaggle on Tuesday morning with questions about Amazon HQ2 and Apple being fired his way.
Asked about Amazon and where the Triangle stood among the company’s declared final top 20 list, Cooper replied:
“We are not sure.”
But Cooper also said he’s not “concerned” at this point.
“We’ve not heard from them lately, but I’m not sure anybody else has, either,” he said.
“So, we’re not concerned about that. We believe we’ve put on a good case and we’re ready to continue to provide information to them.”
Reports have circulated that Amazon might cut the final 20 down to a handful of cities before an announcement is expected to be made later this year.
“I know that we put on a good case for North Carolina with Amazon,” Cooper said.
According to WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain, Cooper also said that the state is “good for [Amazon] and for a lot of companies.”
Reporters also asked about a new campus that Apple has stated it plans to build and North Carolina’s chances of landing the project.
“I can’t comment on any company that is being recruited by North Carolina because of the confidentiality,” Cooper said.
A month ago, Cooper said he was “hopeful” deals will be announced soon about tech projects although he didn’t specify either Apple or Amazon in a brief media session.
Cooper wouldn’t even confirm talks with Apple even though media outlets have reported that Cooper met face-to-face with Apple CEO Tim Cook in May.
“Well, the Amazon one has been public,” Cooper told WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie.
He next volunteered that the state is in the running for other projects, although he offered no specifics.
“Other technology companies that are out there looking at North Carolina – those are not public,” Cooper said.
