Three Amazon Employees Claim They’re Being Investigated for Voicing Concerns About Data Centers

Earlier this month, five Amazon employees publicly urged the Seattle City Council to impose regulations on data centers. This marked a significant moment of advocacy among tech workers, and now three of these employees report they are facing internal investigations for allegedly presenting themselves as company representatives without authorization. “It’s a totally ridiculous claim,” asserts Patrick Schloesser, one of the individuals involved. “It’s patently absurd.”

The three software engineers, who are based in Seattle and work across various divisions at Amazon, feel they’re being unfairly targeted for voicing their political views. According to the employees and a filing reviewed by WIRED, they submitted a joint complaint on Thursday to Seattle’s Office for Civil Rights. They accuse Amazon of unlawfully attempting to intimidate and retaliate against them for sharing their personal opinions outside of work regarding the necessity of regulating the environmental and social consequences of data centers.

“Seattle is one of the few places in the country that prohibits private employers from discriminating against employees based on their political beliefs and affiliations,” states Abby Lawlor, an attorney at Barnard Iglitzin & Lavitt representing the employees. “We possess legal mechanisms to counteract this and ensure that tech workers can fully participate in these essential local discussions. We hope Seattle will take action to enforce this crucial local law.”

Neither Amazon nor the Seattle civil rights office responded promptly to requests for comments. An Amazon spokesperson, Margaret Callahan, had previously informed WIRED that the company values employees’ rights to express their opinions and aims to be a responsible member of the communities in which it operates.

The Amazon employees addressed the city council to advocate for various regulations being considered for data centers. Although Amazon does not currently operate or plan to establish a data center in Seattle, several other companies have submitted proposals for new projects.

The employees who claim they are under investigation—Darius Irani, Liesel Wigand, and Schloesser—report that they were each individually summoned to virtual meetings with an Amazon employee relations representative last Wednesday. They were informed that the investigation might last one to two weeks and have yet to receive any updates, other than being instructed to use a speaker registration form that they believe is irrelevant to their personal comments. Schloesser recalls being warned that the inquiry could potentially result in termination.

The trio argues that Amazon has a history of attempting to suppress collective employee actions, including those at its warehouses, while also avoiding public scrutiny of data centers through confidentiality agreements and other measures. They note that they have received an outpouring of support from colleagues, but no internal criticism apart from what was expressed in the meetings with HR.

During public comment periods at three city meetings this month, the workers introduced themselves as members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a collective of thousands of current and former employees advocating for the company to more effectively address its contribution to climate change.

The employees did not claim to speak on behalf of the company, which, to their knowledge, has not made any formal remarks concerning the data center regulations being discussed. Two other Amazon workers who spoke at subsequent city council meetings reported that they had not been notified of any investigations against them.