CEO Jeff Bezos has responded to a New York Times feature that depicts Amazon as a harsh and unforgiving company for its employees.
The report was published over the weekend, and describes a “bruising workplace,” where employees work extremely long hours in a grueling environment, reports Business Insider.
In the report, Bo Olson, a former employee, says that nearly every employee cried at work. “He lasted less than two years in a book marketing role and said that his enduring image was watching people weep in the office, a sight other workers described as well.”
Bo Olson was one of them. He lasted less than two years in a book marketing role and said that his enduring image was watching people weep in the office, a sight other workers described as well. ‘You walk out of a conference room and you’ll see a grown man covering his face,’ he said. ‘Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.’
In a memo to employees, Bezos responds to the report claiming it “doesn’t describe an Amazon I know.” He encourages Amazonians – how they refer to their employees – to read the article, but writes that, “anyone working in a company that really is like the one described in the NYT would be crazy to stay.”
The article doesn’t describe the Amazon I know or the caring Amazonians I work with every day. I strongly believe that anyone working in a company that really is like the one described in the NYT would be crazy to stay.
Bezos also encourages Amazonians to read a LinkedIn blog post written by Nick Ciubotariu, a senior employee, who has a very different take on the issue, according to NPR.
Ciubotari quotes a “very high ranking executive” in the blog, stating, “Amazon used to burn a lot of people into the ground. This isn’t how we do things anymore, and it isn’t how I run my business.”
Amazon used to burn a lot of people into the ground. This isn’t how we do things anymore, and it isn’t how I run my business. I want this to be a place where people solve problems that cannot be solved, anywhere in the world, but they feel good about working for a great company at the same time. And if you’re burning people into the ground with overwork, you’re not doing it right, and you need to course-correct, or you don’t need to be here.
In June, Amazon was in the news when customers expressed their frustrations over Amazon Prime Day and their inability to purchase sought-after items during the big sale.
