The money NY spent would had been better applied in an across the board business tax reduction.

Or fixing MTA.

Seriously, making it easier for people to get around the city would give them better access to a wider range of potential employers, which would nudge upward mobility across the city in a positive direction. I wouldn't be surprised if the ROI on that kind of thing is much better than what they were willing to pay to airlift in a tech darling.

Hey, Walmart paved the way.... flatten a local economy in the name of progress and graciously re-employ the survivors at subsistence wages in positions with limited career mobility.