Amazon Vice President Tim Bray resigned today “in dismay at Amazon firing whistleblowers who were making noise about warehouse employees frightened of Covid-19”.
Bray announced the decision in a lengthy blog post explaining his issues with the company and its actions. According to his statement, his last day as an Amazon vice president was Friday.
Amazon fired several activists who protested how warehouse employees were being treated by the company. Bray says he takes issue with the fact that Amazon fired those employees instead of responding to their concerns, calling the employees “whistleblowers”.
Specifically noted in the blog post were the firings of employees Courtney Bowden, Gerald Bryson, Maren Costa, Emily Cunningham, Bashir Mohammed, and Chris Smalls. Bray also significantly mentions that all of those fired were either people of color, women or both.
“Remaining an Amazon VP would have meant, in effect, signing off on actions I despised. So I resigned”, said Bray.
Bray worked at the company for more than five years in the web services department. He said he tried to take his concerns through proper channels but did not receive the response he hoped for. Bray referred to the employees’ firings as “evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture.”
