Amazon workers say they were investigated after urging data center rules

In short: Three Amazon software engineers say they are under internal investigation after speaking at Seattle City Council meetings about regulating data centers.

What happened

Earlier this month, five current Amazon employees spoke during public comment at Seattle City Council meetings. They urged the city to regulate data centers, which are large buildings filled with computers that power online services (like a warehouse, but for computing).

Three of those employees, Darius Irani, Liesel Wigand, and Patrick Schloesser, told WIRED they were later called into separate virtual meetings with an Amazon employee relations staffer. The workers say they were told the company was investigating whether they had represented themselves as Amazon spokespeople without approval. Schloesser said he was told the investigation could lead to being fired.

The employees say they did not speak for Amazon. They identified themselves as members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a group of current and former employees that pushes the company to address climate change.

The three workers filed a joint complaint with Seattle’s Office for Civil Rights. They accuse Amazon of illegally trying to intimidate or retaliate against them for expressing personal political views outside of work. An attorney advising them said Seattle has local rules that limit employers from discriminating based on political beliefs.

Amazon and the Seattle civil rights office did not immediately respond to WIRED’s requests for comment. An Amazon spokesperson previously told WIRED the company respects employees’ right to voice their opinions.

Why it matters

Data centers are becoming a hot local issue because they can use a lot of electricity and water, especially as demand grows for AI systems. Seattle City Council has already passed a one-year moratorium on new data center construction, which pauses new projects while the city considers new rules.

Source: Wired