Doug McMillon

Wealth and Power

Amazon's monopoly-like dominance is underscored by its control of over 50% of the U.S. e-commerce market. Through AWS, Amazon commands nearly a third of the global cloud computing market, supporting countless businesses, governments, and institutions. This market control allows Amazon to wield enormous influence over supply chains and digital infrastructure.

Lobbying Efforts

Amazon's lobbying expenditures regularly exceed $20 million annually, targeting labor regulations, antitrust measures, and tax policy. Notably, Amazon has fought against unionization, minimum wage increases, and corporate tax reform, spending millions to undermine worker protections and accountability measures.

Labor Exploitation

Amazon's "churn and burn" employment model has led to widespread reports of unsafe working conditions, extreme productivity quotas, and anti-union practices. Workers in Amazon warehouses report being monitored for productivity to the second, with punitive actions taken for insufficient output.

• A 2021 New York Times investigation revealed Amazon warehouses have an injury rate nearly double the industry average.
• Reports from Truthout indicate that bathroom breaks are discouraged, with workers resorting to "pee bottles" to meet quotas.

Environmental Harm

Amazon is one of the largest global polluters, with an estimated 71.54 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions in 2022, a 40% increase from 2019. The company’s expansion of rapid delivery infrastructure requires vast natural resource extraction and contributes to urban sprawl, traffic, and air pollution.

• Amazon's extensive use of single-use plastics and unsustainable packaging practices exacerbates global waste crises.

Oppressive Regimes and Militarization

AWS contracts with the U.S. government and military include hosting data for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and facilitating surveillance programs. These partnerships have directly contributed to family separations and deportations, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities.

Tax Avoidance

Amazon has repeatedly avoided paying its fair share of taxes. For example, despite record profits in 2018, Amazon paid $0 in U.S. federal income tax and even received a $129 million rebate, as reported by The Guardian.