Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Jeff Bezos

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Jeff Bezos.

Jeff Bezos is an American businessman renowned as the founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Amazon, a leading e-commerce and cloud computing giant. With a net worth exceeding $220 billion as of May 2025, Bezos holds the position of the third-wealthiest individual globally, according to Forbes. He previously held the title of the world's richest person from 2017 to 2021, as recognized by both Forbes and the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

May 2014: Named "World's Worst Boss"

In May 2014, the International Trade Union Confederation named Jeff Bezos the "World's Worst Boss", citing the inhumanity of employers promoting the North American corporate model.

2015: Memo Denouncing New York Times Piece

In 2015, Jeff Bezos sent a memo to employees denouncing a New York Times article, exemplifying his tendency to publicly contest claims made in critical articles.

2016: Negative Response to Lack of Philanthropy

Since 2016, Jeff Bezos's relative lack of philanthropy compared to other billionaires has drawn negative responses from the public.

May 1, 2018: Bezos's phone likely hacked via WhatsApp message

On May 1, 2018, forensic analysis concluded it was "highly probable" that Jeff Bezos's phone was hacked using a malicious file hidden in a video sent in a WhatsApp message from the personal account of the crown prince.

July 2018: Called to Detail Rekognition Applications

During July 2018, a number of members of the U.S. Congress called on Bezos to detail the applications of Amazon's face recognition software, Rekognition.

September 2018: Introduction of Stop BEZOS Act

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.

2018: Controversy over JEDI project

In 2018, A $10 billion contract known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) project with the Pentagon, was allegedly written up in a way that favors Amazon. Controversy over this was raised when General James Mattis accepted a headquarters tour invitation from Bezos and co-ordinated the deal through Sally Donnelly, a lobbyist who previously worked for Amazon.

2018: Employees criticized poor wages and benefits

In 2018, more than 400 Washington Post employees wrote an open letter to Jeff Bezos criticizing his poor wages and benefits for his employees, demanding "Fair wages; fair benefits for retirement, family leave and health care; and a fair amount of job security".

February 7, 2019: Accused American Media, Inc. of extortion and blackmail

On February 7, 2019, Jeff Bezos published an online essay in which he accused American Media, Inc. owner David Pecker of "extortion and blackmail" for threatening to publish intimate photos of Bezos and current girlfriend Lauren Sánchez.

March 2019: Bezos's security consultant accuses Saudi government of hacking his phone

In March 2019, Jeff Bezos's security consultant accused the Saudi government of hacking Bezos's phone, linking the hack to the Washington Post's coverage of the murder of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.

2019: Harvard Business Review Ranking Drop

In 2019, Harvard Business Review, after ranking Jeff Bezos as the best-performing CEO for 4 years in a row since 2014, did not rank him even in the top 100, due to Amazon's relatively low ESG scores, reflecting risks created by working conditions, employment policies, data security, and antitrust issues.

2019: PAC spent over $1 million to defeat Kshama Sawant

In 2019, a PAC linked to Jeff Bezos spent over $1 million in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat the reelection bid of Seattle city council member and activist Kshama Sawant.

January 2020: Report links hack of Bezos's phone to Khashoggi's writings

In January 2020, The Guardian reported that the hack of Jeff Bezos's phone was initiated before the murder of Jamal Khashoggi but after Khashoggi wrote critically about the crown prince in the Washington Post.

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.

2024: Blocked Kamala Harris endorsement

In 2024, Jeff Bezos blocked The Washington Post's editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris in the presidential election, a move criticized by many and led to resignations.

January 2025: Cartoonist resigned from The Washington Post

In January 2025, editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned from The Washington Post after it refused to run a satirical cartoon critical of the relationship between American billionaires and President Donald Trump.

February 2025: Announced new direction for opinion section

In February 2025, Jeff Bezos announced that the opinion section of The Washington Post will give voice only to opinions that support "personal liberties" and "free markets", leading to the resignation of opinion editor David Shipley and a loss of digital subscribers.