Business
Jeff Bezos Is Reportedly Driving Amazon’s Recent String of Snarky Tweets Against Lawmakers
Published
1 year agoon
By
Cory Ray
- Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is believed to be the driving force behind a series of confrontational posts that the official Amazon News Twitter account directed at Democratic lawmakers last week, according to Vox’s Recode.
- Recode’s report claims Bezos instructed company officials to be “more aggressive in how they pushed back against criticisms of the company that he and other leaders deem inaccurate or misleading.”
- In one highly criticized exchange with Rep. Mark Pocan (Wi.), Amazon News cast doubt over claims that warehouse workers were forced to pee in bottles to avoid bathroom breaks.
- Reports about Bezos’ order come as workers at one Alabama warehouse finish voting Monday on whether or not they will become the first Amazon warehouse in the country to unionize.
Bezos Allegedly Directs Amazon To Fight Back
The official Twitter account for Amazon News attracted the internet’s attention last week after it began lobbing snarky replies at Democratic lawmakers. According to a new report from Vox’s Recode, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos may be to blame.
The report described Bezos as “pissed” and said he “expressed dissatisfaction… that company officials weren’t more aggressive in how they pushed back against criticisms of the company that he and other leaders deem inaccurate or misleading.”
He then reportedly gave a broad mandate to “fight back.”
What Is Bezos Reportedly Upset About?
The Twitter spats with lawmakers began on Wednesday after it was reported that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was traveling to Alabama to meet with Amazon workers who’ve been pushing to unionize.
In a statement on Twitter, Amazon Consumer Chief Dave Clark said he welcomed Sanders and “appreciate[s] his push for a progressive workplace.”
He also added, “I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that’s not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace for our constituents: a $15 minimum wage, health care from day one, career progression, and a safe and inclusive work environment.”
“So if you want to hear about $15 an hour and health care, Senator Sanders will be speaking downtown. But if you would like to make at least $15 an hour and have good health care, Amazon is hiring.”
1/3 I welcome @SenSanders to Birmingham and appreciate his push for a progressive workplace. I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that’s not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace https://t.co/Fq8D6vyuh9
— Dave Clark (@davehclark) March 24, 2021
3/3 So if you want to hear about $15 an hour and health care, Senator Sanders will be speaking downtown. But if you would like to make at least $15 an hour and have good health care, Amazon is hiring.
— Dave Clark (@davehclark) March 24, 2021
From there, Rep. Mark Pocan (Wi.) jumped into the mix, quote tweeting Clark and saying, “Paying workers $15/hr doesn’t make you a “progressive workplace” when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles.”
Paying workers $15/hr doesn't make you a "progressive workplace" when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles. https://t.co/CnFTtTKA9q
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) March 25, 2021
Here, Pocan is referring to two things: The first is Amazon’s efforts to keep employees from unionizing by telling them that unions cost too much money and that the company already provides enough benefits for its workers.
The second is a reference from a 2018 report in which British author James Bloodworth, who went undercover at an Amazon warehouse, said he found a bottle of urine on a warehouse shelf. When speaking to Insider, Bloodworth said at the time that workplace culture in the warehouse was like a “prison” and that workers were admonished for taking restroom breaks.
In a reply to Pocan, the account for Amazon News said, “You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us.”
“We hope you can enact policies that get other employers to offer what we already do,” it added.
2/2 We hope you can enact policies that get other employers to offer what we already do.
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) March 25, 2021
“And yes, I do believe your workers,” Pocan bit back. “You don’t?”
And yes, I do believe your workers.
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) March 25, 2021
You don’t?
Amid the exchanges, Amazon began trending on Twitter, with many people very confused and others outwardly shocked at the tone in Amazon’s tweet.
This is so wild. What brand thinks it’s a smart idea to publicly communicate in such a condescending manner, especially when there’s ample documentation of how little protection you offer your fulfillment center workers? Not doing yourself any favors here…
— Charlotte Hill (@hill_charlotte) March 25, 2021
It's one thing for Amazon to systematically choke to death the American retail and labor markets, but it feels altogether darker that they also insist the general public regards them as benevolent and generous for doing so, and that they are insulted by implications otherwise.
— Amanda Mull (@amandamull) March 25, 2021
Eventually, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) added her voice by including a letter from an Amazon manager who noted three separate instances where bags of poop had been found by drivers.
“This you?” she asked.
This you? https://t.co/HtyJsuj0jW pic.twitter.com/QZpsriA3ph
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 26, 2021
On Thursday, Amazon News and Senator Elizabeth Warren (Ma.) engaged in another so-called “Twitter war.”
In a reply to a condemnatory thread by Amazon news, Warren accused Amazon of exploiting loopholes to pay lower taxes and vowed to “fight to break up Big Tech so you’re not powerful enough to heckle senators with snotty tweets.”
In a reply, Amazon News accused Warren of trying to break them up “so that they can’t criticize her anymore.”
This is extraordinary and revealing. One of the most powerful politicians in the United States just said she’s going to break up an American company so that they can’t criticize her anymore. https://t.co/Nt0wcZo17g
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) March 26, 2021
What’s Next?
Amid this “Twitter war,” Amazon workers at a warehouse in Alabama have been voting over the last couple of months on whether or not to unionize.
That vote ends Monday, while counting is expected to begin Tuesday. If the push is successful, it would become the first Amazon warehouse in the U.S. to be represented by a union.
See what others are saying: (Vox) (Yahoo) (Insider)
Business
Mental Health Startup Cerebral May Have Harmed Hundreds of Patients, Leaked Documents Reveal
Published
5 days agoon
June 29, 2022By
Chris Tolve
The company is being investigated by multiple federal agencies for its questionable practices, which have come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks.
Over 2,000 Incident Reports Shed Light on Recklessness
A Silicon Valley mental health startup called Cerebral may have harmed hundreds of patients by flagrantly disregarding medical standards, according to a cache of documents reviewed by Insider, as well as over 30 interviews with current or former employees by the outlet.
Founded in 2020, Cerebral provides mental health treatment to customers through talk therapy and medication for conditions such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, and ADHD.
With people quarantined during the pandemic, it became one of the largest virtual therapy firms in the United States, attracting some $462 million from investors.
Cerebral employees filed at least 2,060 incident reports during seven months in 2021, according to Insider. They show that the company enrolled patients with complex conditions like bipolar disorder, then assigned them to clinicians and other staff members with insufficient training, oversight, and support to treat such cases.
It also put dozens of patients on questionable treatment plans and misdiagnosed many others, the reports say, with company medical providers prescribing potentially lethal combinations of drugs or addictive drugs to patients with histories of addiction.
Additionally, many patients were left stranded without care for extended periods due to technology issues or the company’s failure to retain clinicians.
As a result, Cerebral shuffled patients from one provider to the next and even bungled their prescriptions, sometimes leading them to suffer drug withdrawal or take the wrong medication.
Patients Tell Their Stories
One patient reportedly spent two weeks waiting for a referral to a clinician, later saying she spent eight days in a psychiatric ward.
Another patient told CBS News she was prescribed a drug for her anxiety but afterward could not reach her prescriber for instructions on how to switch to the new medication safely.
“Any time I needed help, she was never available,” she said.
After she did not get a response for six days, she began taking the drug anyway, which caused her to break out in a rash.
“I messaged back,” she said, “letting them know it was spreading and getting worse, and they said that they were still trying to get a hold of that prescriber… They make it seem like they want to help, and then they get you, and then they’re gone.”
A Cerebral spokesperson told Insider that the reports did not highlight enough patients to accurately reflect the company.
“Any incident reports you obtained show Cerebral’s dedication to quality,” the spokesperson said. “You can’t take a relatively small group of incident reports and draw conclusions about our care.”
Two former senior employees told the outlet those reports were monitored by just a couple of people who had other responsibilities at the company, adding that leadership frequently pushed off solving the systemic issues flagged.
Cerebral’s practices are currently being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.
See what others are saying: (Business Insider) (CBS News) (Fierce Healthcare)
Business
Instagram Testing New Tools To Verify Users Are Over 18
Published
2 weeks agoon
June 23, 2022
The new tools include AI software that analyzes video footage of a person’s face to verify their age.
Instagram Cracks Down on Underage Users
Instagram is testing new features in the United States to verify the age of users who claim to be over 18 years old.
According to a statement from Instagram’s parent company, Meta, the tools will only apply to users who seek to change their age from under 18 to over 18. The platform previously asked for users to upload their ID for verification in this process, but on Thursday, it announced there will be two new methods for confirming age.
One of the strategies was referred to as “social vouching.” Using this option, people can request that three mutual Instagram followers over the age of 18 confirm their age on the platform.
The other method allows users to upload a video selfie of themselves to be analyzed by Yoti, third-party age verification software. Yoti then estimates a person’s age based on their facial features, sends that estimate to Meta, and both companies delete the recording.
According to Meta, Yoti cannot recognize or identify a face based on the recording and only looks at the pixels to determine an age. Meta said that Yoti “is the leading age verification provider for several industries around the world,” as it has been used and promoted by social media companies and governmental organizations.
Still, some question how effective it will be for this specific use. According to The Verge, while the software does have a high accuracy rate among certain age groups and demographics, data also shows it is less precise for female faces and faces with darker skin tones.
Issues With Kids on Instagram
Meta argues that it is important for Instagram to be able to discern who is and is not 18, as it impacts what version of the app users have access to.
“We’re testing this so we can make sure teens and adults are in the right experience for their age group,” the company’s statement said.
“When we know if someone is a teen (13-17), we provide them with age-appropriate experiences like defaulting them into private accounts, preventing unwanted contact from adults they don’t know and limiting the options advertisers have to reach them with ads,” it continued.
These changes come as Instagram has been facing increased pressure to address the way its app impacts younger users.
Only children 13 and older are allowed to have Instagram accounts, but the service has faced criticism for not doing enough to enforce this. A 2021 survey of high school students found that nearly half of the respondents had created a social media account of some kind before they were 13.
The company also recently came under fire after The Wall Street Journal published internal Meta documents revealing that the company knew that it harmed teens, including by worsening body image issues for young girls and women.
See what others are saying: (The Verge) (The Wall Street Journal) (Axios)
Business
Elon Musk Threatens to Fire Employees Unless They Work in Person Full-Time
Published
1 month agoon
June 1, 2022By
Chris Tolve
The world’s richest man in the world previously suggested that the popularity of remote work has “tricked people into thinking that you don’t actually need to work hard.”
“If You Don’t Show up, We Will Assume You Have Resigned”
On Wednesday, Electrek published two leaked emails apparently sent from Elon Musk to Tesla’s executive staff threatening to fire them if they don’t return to work in person.
“Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla,” he wrote. “This is less than we ask of factory workers.”
“If there are particularly exceptional contributors for whom this is impossible, I will review and approve those exceptions directly,” he continued.
Musk then clarified that the “office” must be a main office, not a “remote branch office unrelated to the job duties.”
“There are of course companies that don’t require this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It’s been a while,” he wrote in the second email.
Later on Wednesday, a Twitter user asked Musk to comment on the idea that coming into work is an antiquated concept.
He replied, “They should pretend to work somewhere else.”
They should pretend to work somewhere else
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 1, 2022
The Billionaire Pushes People to Work Harder
Musk has a history of pressuring his employees and criticizing them for not working hard enough.
“All the Covid stay-at-home stuff has tricked people into thinking that you don’t actually need to work hard. Rude awakening inbound,” he tweeted last month.
Yes, but this is actually a good thing. It has been raining money on fools for too long. Some bankruptcies need to happen.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 27, 2022
Also, all the Covid stay-at-home stuff has tricked people into thinking that you don’t actually need to work hard. Rude awakening inbound!
Three economists told Insider that remote work during the pandemic did not damage productivity.
“Most of the evidence shows that productivity has increased while people stayed at home,” Natacha Postel-Vinay, an economic and financial historian at the London School of Economics, told the outlet.
Musk is notorious for criticizing lockdown mandates and went so far as to call them “fascist” during a Tesla earnings call in April 2020.
Not long before that, Tesla announced that it would keep its Fremont, California plant open in defiance of shelter-in-place orders across the state.
In an interview with The Financial Times last month, Musk blasted American workers for trying to stay home, comparing them to their Chinese counterparts whom he said work harder.
“They won’t just be burning the midnight oil. They will be burning the 3 a.m. oil,” he said. “They won’t even leave the factory type of thing, whereas in America people are trying to avoid going to work at all.”
That same day, Fortune published an article detailing how Tesla workers in Shanghai work 12-hour shifts, six days out of the week, sometimes sleeping on the factory floor.
See what others are saying: (CNBC) (Electrek) (Business Insider)

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