Hi James,
Thanks for reaching out to me, and my apologies for taking a while to reply. It sounds like there are a lot of interesting technical opportunities at Amazon for someone with my skills. Normally, I would be thrilled to interview with Amazon, but in the past year, I’ve realized that the current ethical positions of Amazon and Jeff Bezos are not aligned with my own. I am declining this opportunity for the following reasons:
1. Through its contracts with Palantir and other companies that enable ICE, Amazon is contributing to the oppression of the most vulnerable people in our society. The below letter outlines my concerns in more detail: https://www.scribd.com/document/382334740/Dear-Jeff
2. Amazon is a horrible corporate citizen in Seattle. Seattle has been experiencing a housing crisis over the past few years, and the city has a declining stock of affordable housing. When the city council was drafting up its head tax policy this past year, Amazon was given numerous opportunities to come to the table and help shape the law. Instead, Amazon sat on the sidelines, and after the law was passed, Amazon actively contributed to the repeal campaign. Since the repeal, there have been no meaningful attempts by Amazon to help address the homelessness issue in Seattle. As the biggest company in this city, Amazon should be contributing more to the prosperity of everyone who lives here. One very democratic way of doing this is to be supportive of progressive tax initiatives at the state and city level.
I can’t in good conscience contribute to the success of a company that has little consideration for anything other than its own profits. Until Amazon meaningfully addresses the above issues, I must respectfully decline any opportunities to interview or work there.
Best,
Sergey
