Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Jeff Bezos.
Jeff Bezos is an American businessman renowned as the founder and former CEO of Amazon, a global leader in e-commerce and cloud computing. Currently serving as executive chairman, Bezos has amassed significant wealth, making him one of the wealthiest individuals globally. He notably held the title of the world's wealthiest person between 2017 and 2021. His entrepreneurial success with Amazon has significantly impacted the technology and retail sectors.
May 2014: Named "World's Worst Boss"
In May 2014, the International Trade Union Confederation named Jeff Bezos the "World's Worst Boss", citing his promotion of the North American corporate model.
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2015: Memo Denouncing New York Times Piece
In 2015, Jeff Bezos sent a memo to employees denouncing a New York Times piece, exemplifying his tendency to publicly contest claims made in critical articles.
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2016: Public Criticism for Lack of Philanthropy
Since 2016, Jeff Bezos's relative lack of philanthropy compared to other billionaires has drawn a negative response from the public, influencing his public image.
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May 1, 2018: Alleged phone hack initiation
On May 1, 2018, forensic analysis concluded it "highly probable" that the hack was achieved using a malicious file hidden in a video sent in a WhatsApp message to Bezos from the personal account of the crown prince.
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July 2018: Congressional Scrutiny of Rekognition
During July 2018, members of the U.S. Congress called on Jeff Bezos to detail the applications of Amazon's face recognition software, Rekognition.
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September 2018: Report on not signing the Giving Pledge
In September 2018, Business Insider reported that Jeff Bezos was the only one of the top five billionaires in the world who had not signed the Giving Pledge.
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September 2018: Stop BEZOS Act Introduced
In September 2018, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies (Stop BEZOS) Act and accused Amazon of receiving corporate welfare.
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2018: Criticism from Washington Post employees
In 2018, more than 400 Washington Post employees wrote an open letter to Jeff Bezos criticizing his poor wages and benefits for his employees.
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January 2019: Divorce announcement and affair revelation
In January 2019, Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie announced their divorce, and the National Enquirer revealed Bezos's affair with Lauren Sánchez.
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February 7, 2019: Accusation of extortion and blackmail
On February 7, 2019, Jeff Bezos accused American Media, Inc. owner David Pecker of "extortion and blackmail" for threatening to publish intimate photos.
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March 2019: Accusation of Saudi government hacking
In March 2019, Jeff Bezos's security consultant accused the Saudi government of hacking Bezos's phone.
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2019: Harvard Business Review's CEO Ranking
In 2019, Harvard Business Review, which had previously ranked Jeff Bezos as the best-performing CEO for 4 years in a row since 2014, did not rank him even in the top 100, citing Amazon's relatively low ESG scores.
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2019: Political action committee spending
In 2019, a political action committee linked to Jeff Bezos spent over $1 million in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat the reelection bid of Seattle city council member Kshama Sawant.
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January 2020: Report on hack initiation timeline
In January 2020, The Guardian reported that the hack of Jeff Bezos's phone was initiated before the murder but after Jamal Khashoggi wrote critically about the crown prince in the Washington Post.
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December 2023: Washington Post employees strike
In December 2023, around 750 employees at The Washington Post went on a brief strike in response to Jeff Bezos' plans to lay off staff.
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2024: Blocking Kamala Harris endorsement
In 2024, Jeff Bezos blocked the Washington Post's editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris in the presidential election, leading to criticism and resignation.
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