Amazon's Super Bowl commercial might contain a clue about where HQ2 will be (AMZN)

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February 5, 2018 4:02 PM

The Echo Dot in Amazon's Super Bowl commercial tried to tell a woman what the weather was like in Austin, Texas — and people say it could be a big hint.

In the ad, Alexa tries to tell a woman what the weather is like in Austin, Texas, but then loses her voice.
People are saying — seriously or not — that it might be a hint at where Amazon will ultimately place its second headquarters, dubbed

Eagle-eyed viewers of the Super Bowl spotted something most people missed in Amazon's commercial for its Alexa voice assistant.

Before Alexa "loses her voice" in the commercial and is replaced by famous stand-ins, she tries to tell a woman brushing her teeth what the weather is like in Austin, Texas — one of the 20 cities in the running for Amazon's second headquarters and that many analysts consider one of the best candidates.

People on Twitter and in local Texas publications are speculating it could be a hint that Amazon will choose the city for its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2.

In a tongue-in-cheek article, Texas Monthly speculated that the peacocks Anthony Hopkins is shown feeding in the commercial were a reference to those that famously roam Austin's Mayfield Park.

Amazon already has significant ties to Austin — it has a large office in the city, and the grocery chain it bought last year, Whole Foods, is headquartered there.

If you ask Alexa what her favorite city in Texas is, she even says it's Austin, according to the Dallas Observer. (If you ask Alexa her favorite city overall, however, she will say it's New York City, another of the 20 finalists.)

But could Amazon be leaving breadcrumbs in the form of a commercial watched by millions? We sincerely doubt it.

There wouldn't be a whole lot of upside for the company to drop hints at this stage of the game. The company has reportedly even said in a meeting with government officials from at least one of the candidate cities that it wants the next phase of the search for HQ2 to play out a little more privately.

Still, Texas' capital has a good shot at getting the new HQ. And it's worth considering any signals of the company's favorite cities, seeing as there's $5 billion and 50,000 jobs on the line for the winner.

Watch Amazon's full Super Bowl commercial:

Alexa Loses Her Voice – Amazon Super Bowl LII Commercial

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