USA 
United Kingdom
More than 1,000 Amazon employees anonymously backed an open letter warning that the company’s “all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development” risks causing “staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth.”
The campaign was organised by Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, whose members say they began gathering signatures last month before going public with the job titles of those who agreed.
The group says the effort has also drawn more than 2,400 external supporters from organisations including Google and Apple. Those who signed inside Amazon include senior engineers, product leaders, marketing staff and warehouse workers. A senior engineering manager with over two decades at the company said they backed the letter because they believed a manufactured “race” to deliver AI had “empowered executives to trample workers and the environment.”
Data-centre expansion fuels climate and job fears
The warning comes as Amazon, alongside other major tech firms, ploughs billions into new data centres to train and deploy generative AI tools. The systems underpin internal products that support coding and documentation, as well as consumer-facing services such as Rufus, Amazon’s shopping chatbot. In recent remarks, CEO Andy Jassy said Rufus was on track to add $10billion in annual sales and was “continuing to get better and better.”
Wired reports that the letter demands that Amazon stop using carbon-emitting energy sources at its data centres, prohibit applications that enable surveillance or mass deportation, and end pressure on staff to use AI in day-to-day work. “We, the undersigned Amazon employees, have serious concerns about this aggressive rollout during the global rise of authoritarianism and our most important years to reverse the climate crisis,” it states.
Amazon spokesperson Brad Glasser said the business remained committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2040. “We recognize that progress will not always be linear, but we remain focused on serving our customers better, faster, and with fewer emissions,” he added, repeating earlier company comments.
Why HR still struggles to reach Deskless Employees
Frontline employees often have the greatest need for HR support—but the least access to it. The reason is simple: most HR systems were designed for desk-based employees.
If you're investing in HR digital transformation, it's essential to ensure that every employee—whether office-based, hybrid, or deskless—has equal access to HR services, information, and support.
This guide explores the key considerations for building a consistent, accessible, and connected HR service experience for your entire workforce.
You'll learn how to:
✅ Deliver consistent HR support across every location
✅ Reduce repetitive HR requests
✅ Improve self-service adoption
✅ Connect email, mobile, AI and employee portals
✅ Create a better employee experience for frontline workers
Job cuts and AI 'slop' heighten unrest
The intervention reflects an uncommon moment of tech-worker activism during a political backdrop shaped by Donald Trump’s return to office, which has included reversals of labour protections, climate initiatives and AI rules. Employees cited job insecurity as automation reshapes entry-level software and marketing roles, and some engineers said they faced expectations to double productivity using AI systems that one employee described as “slop.”
The organizers said sign-ups accelerated after Amazon revealed plans to cut about 14,000 jobs “to better meet the demands of the AI era.” The company employed nearly 1.58m people in September, down from a peak of more than 1.6m at the end of 2021.
Workers also expressed growing climate concerns, noting Amazon’s emissions have risen roughly 35% since 2019. One employee said a recent company-wide briefing cited a ten-fold increase in data-centre demand by 2027 while promoting a 9% reduction in water usage - a change they described as “such a drop in the bucket.” Glasser said Amazon was “already committed to powering our operations even more sustainably and investing in carbon-free energy.”
