Although Amazon often chooses not to get involved in public controversy, recent events show that a powerful corporation is ready to challenge Washington directly.
Since the company “Amazon” was born at the end of the last century, its founder Jeff Bezos has gone from an eccentric geek to a kind of “technology god”, writes The New York Times. Bezos did everything to protect the interests of his brainchild, which was facilitated by the rapid growth of the business. A decisive battle is unfolding today as workers at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, try to unionize.
For Amazon, the voting results will be an indicator of the success of the company’s aggressive expansion strategy. The situation is so tense that it is being watched in Washington, where the idea of rein in the tech giants is becoming more popular.
The fight for workers’ rights is becoming even more pressing as Amazon becomes one of the largest employers in the United States. The deadly pandemic has allowed the company to make good money, increasing the number of employees to 1.3 million. But workers often complain about the harsh working conditions. Personnel surveillance is particularly displeasing.
Amazon usually does not respond to criticism, but after attacks from Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the company launched a counteroffensive. The standoff, in particular, unfolded on Twitter, and Amazon’s rhetoric clearly masks an attempt to promote compromise regulatory legislation.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg did a similar thing when he proposed amendments to Section 230 of the Communications Integrity Act in Congressional hearings, which gives platforms broad immunity to content posted there. At the same time, experts considered this idea a distraction that will allow tech giants to save and increase resources.
Amazon, now one of the most popular brands in the world thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, is openly challenging the U.S. Congress, which has been slow and holding endless useless hearings on how to deal with tech companies.
When other corporations would rather make a million pointless public apologies, Amazon sends Washington the message, “I’ll let you regulate us”.