As Jeff Bezos prepares to step down from his role as CEO of Amazon.com Inc, the founder of the online retail and cloud computing giant – and frequent target of workers’ rights activists – is crafting a more employee-friendly persona.
In his annual letter to shareholders published on Thursday, Bezos said he takes no comfort from the outcome of a recent collective bargaining push that saw Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama overwhelmingly vote against unionising.
“I think we need to do a better job for our employees,” wrote Bezos. “While the voting results were lopsided and our direct relationship with employees is strong, it’s clear to me that we need a better vision for how we create value for employees – a vision for their success.”