Jeff Bezos

Bezos to Racist Customer: ‘You're the Kind of Customer I'm Happy to Lose'

Jeff Bezos
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

What to Know

  • Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shared another email exchange with a customer who used incendiary rhetoric to criticize the company’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 
  • “This sort of hate shouldn’t be allowed to hide in the shadows,” Bezos said in an Instagram post late Sunday. “You’re the kind of customer I’m happy to lose.”
  • The post comes after Bezos last week addressed an Amazon customer who was angry over the company’s support of protesters. 

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos posted another email exchange with an angry customer who criticized the company’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Bezos called the customer’s email “sickening” in an Instagram post late Sunday, saying the person was the “kind of customer” he’d be “happy to lose.”

The customer’s email, which Bezos included in a screenshot, includes a string of profanity-laced insults and racist slurs, adding that Amazon’s decision to show solidarity with protesters “will ruin [Bezos’] company.”

“This sort of hate shouldn’t be allowed to hide in the shadows,” Bezos wrote.

“It’s important to make it visible. This is just one example of the problem. And, Dave, you’re the kind of customer I’m happy to lose.”

The post comes after Bezos last week shared another email exchange with an angry customer. Bezos clarified Amazon’s position on racial justice, saying that he supports the recent protests around police brutality and that “my stance won’t change.”

In recent days, protests have erupted nationwide over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police. On Wednesday, three former Minneapolis police officers were charged with aiding and abetting murder in connection with the killing of Floyd. Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck before he died, was also charged with second-degree murder, after he was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Amazon has joined a chorus of companies that have voiced support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Last Wednesday, Amazon announced it will donate $10 million to social justice organizations. The company also tweeted that the “inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people” must stop.

“We believe black lives matter,” the company said. “We stand in solidarity with our Black employees, customers and partners, and are committed to helping build a country and a world where everyone can live with dignity and free from fear.”

While Amazon was applauded for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, it has also faced some criticism. Organizations have called out the company for its ties with police and development of facial recognition technology. More than 1,000 police departments across the U.S. have partnerships with Ring, the smart doorbell security owned by Amazon. Additionally, human rights groups have called for the ban of Amazon’s facial recognition technology, Rekognition, which they argue poses a threat to immigrants and religious minorities. 

This story first appeared on CNBC.com. More from CNBC:

Copyright CNBC
Contact Us