GeekWire

Amazon employees defy company; taxing tech; umbrellas as lightning rods


Listen Later

Here's what we're talking about on this new episode of the GeekWire Podcast: 
Amazon employees are responding to threats of termination for their climate advocacy by intentionally violating the company’s corporate communications policy.
More than 350 workers criticized Amazon’s contribution to climate change, violating corporate PR rules that prevent employees from discussing company business without approval. It’s the latest example of tech workers leveraging their position as valued assets in a tight labor market to pressure their employers on political issues.
Washington state lawmakers are considering a new regional tax that would raise an estimated $121 million a year from some of the Seattle area’s biggest employers, including tech giants Microsoft and Amazon, to fund programs to alleviate homelessness.
The legislation, unveiled Wednesday, is the latest attempt to direct some of the wealth generated by Seattle’s tech boom toward addressing the homelessness crisis.
Umbrellas become a lightning rod on Amazon's Seattle campus. In any other city, umbrellas would barely be noticed. But Amazon’s big orange-and-white rain deflectors are sparking discussion and debate in Seattle, where there’s a sizable and prideful segment of the population that believes umbrellas are not for locals, they’re for tourists and transplants. “Complaining about umbrellas is easily the worst old Seattle vs. new Seattle take,” an Amazon public policy employee wrote on Twitter.
One GeekWire reader summed up the criticism in a comment: "It's not the issue of using an umbrella - it's how friggin' gigantic they are. To me these umbrellas are everything that's wrong with Amazon. No consideration for anyone but themselves."
And finally, we discuss what a Seattle startup leader’s car purchase says about state of transportation in the city, and the uncertainty that can come with relying on experimental startups for vital services like getting from place to place.
With GeekWire's Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg and Kurt Schlosser. Audio editing and production by Curt Milton. Music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

GeekWireBy GeekWire

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

115 ratings


More shows like GeekWire

View all
Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,283 Listeners

a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

a16z Podcast

1,036 Listeners

Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

Decoder with Nilay Patel

3,144 Listeners

Equity by TechCrunch, Mary Ann Azevedo, Kell, Theresa Loconsolo, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, Margaux MacColl

Equity

338 Listeners

Bold Names by The Wall Street Journal

Bold Names

1,438 Listeners

Techmeme Ride Home by Brian McCullough

Techmeme Ride Home

941 Listeners

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

5,414 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,461 Listeners

WorkLab by Microsoft

WorkLab

61 Listeners

ACQ2 by Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

ACQ2 by Acquired

212 Listeners

Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson by Andrew Sharp and Ben Thompson

Sharp Tech with Ben Thompson

94 Listeners

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups by Conviction

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

121 Listeners

Possible by Reid Hoffman

Possible

120 Listeners

The AI Daily Brief (Formerly The AI Breakdown): Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis by Nathaniel Whittemore

The AI Daily Brief (Formerly The AI Breakdown): Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

485 Listeners

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

461 Listeners