Monday, April 02, 2012

Attention, Amazon Employees: | Slog:

Out of all the major corporations in Seattle, your company is the worst at giving back to the community. Check out Amy Martinez and Kristi Heim's excellent feature in the Seattle Times that adds tons of depth and detail to a deservedly snarky headline: "The world's biggest online retailer is a minor player—at best—in local charitable giving."

Your CEO, Jeff Bezos, refused interviews and "questions philanthropy," Martinez and Heim explain. Meanwhile, other local companies are leaders and Amazon has been a tax-dodger. But let's be fair: Your CEO doesn't always shy away from civic giving. For instance, when the cause was a political campaign to stop an income tax on super wealthy people (folks like him) that would fund basic education for the general public (folks like his employees) Bezos flashed the cash.

Amazon employees should be furious. You should demand that your profitable company provide meaningful support the very community that fosters Amazon's business (not just token donations here and there). You should call for an executive who isn't trying to shit on public education. You should speak out against Amazon's deplorable warehouse conditions. And you should expect your company—like so many other successful companies in Seattle—to advocate for the same basic values of its employees. Amazon is a big boy and needs to stop acting like a greedy child.