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Jeff Bezos is the richest person on the planet. As of 2020, the Amazon owner is worth approximately 175 billion USD. However, not all of the 798,000 people at the company enjoy hearing about his success.

A viral Twitter thread has Amazon employees sharing stories about their poor work environment, sub-par safety standards, and unfair pay, calling Bezos an autocrat and suggesting that he's accumulating his wealth at their expense.

This exchange on Twitter kicked off a viral thread, where Amazon employees explain why Jeff Bezos' wealth isn't worth celebrating

Austin, an ex-Amazon employee who agreed to tell Bored Panda about his experience at the company, worked there for about 2 years. "I worked every position besides the manager, all shifts, days and nights," he said. "I decided to leave after my mental health was deteriorating due to being locked basically in this giant steel building with fluorescent lighting."

"I couldn't talk to anyone, we were constantly hounded to go faster and push harder and to push out extra volume. I began to hate my day to day life because all I got to do was the same exact thing as yesterday. It was incredibly stressful worrying about losing your job every day and if you wanted a personal day, then you better not get sick because you will lose your job."

Looking back, Austin does not regret leaving. "It showed me the shitty side of capitalist America and how much our employers don’t give a flying f about us. It's all about rates and money for them," he explained. "I'd like to add that I'd like people to think about how capitalism is the root of all evil. I'm not saying communism or socialism is the answer but obviously capitalism isn't it."

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    In August, ex-Amazon worker Christian Smalls even led a protest of the corporation's coronavirus standards outside CEO Jeff Bezos' $16 million apartment in New York City.

    A few dozen people reportedly showed up, demanding that Amazon allow employees to unionize and "a federal wealth tax on the top 3% of earners in the United States," according to a press release from Smalls' group, the Congress of Essential Workers.

    "I have workers [who] contact me all the time. They're not protected still," Smalls told FOX Business before the protest. "There are cases in buildings, people are still contracting the virus. ... Some people are bringing the virus home, and relatives are dying. It's an unfortunate situation they're putting their workers in."

    Smalls was fired in March after organizing a small walkout over conditions at a Staten Island warehouse. He quickly gained media spotlight after calling for Amazon's JFK8 fulfillment center to be shut down for deep cleaning and accusing the corporation of lying about how many workers have tested positive for the virus.

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    "It cost me my career. Guess what? I have no regrets," Smalls said.

    #3

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    Monika Soffronow
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If ALL Amazon workers did this on the same day - that very same day the pay and work conditions would be improved. If MUCH more Amazon workers did this, well then the change would be incremental.

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    Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, talked up the perks of a job at Amazon in a letter to shareholders in April, proudly stating that the lowest paid Amazon worker makes more than 40 million Americans in the US, earning $15 an hour versus the US federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

    The company raised its minimum wage to $15 in 2018. "It had an immediate and meaningful impact on the hundreds of thousands of people working in our fulfillment centers," Bezos said. We want other big employers to join us by raising their own minimum pay rates, and we continue to lobby for a $15 federal minimum wage."

    However, Austin doesn't think that makes up for anything. "When I started, it was $13 an hour, and then it went up. I think it is ridiculous to be proud of that. That should be an industry standard to provide survivable wages. I think [he's just embarrassing himself]. If I got paid $25 an hour, I'd reconsider, but I didn't even get to go to the bathroom when I needed to. And honestly, $15 an hour is still barely scraping by."

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    Something tells me other people featured in this list would agree with Austin, too. Do you? Let us know in the comments.

    #4

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    Hans
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A occasional 12 hour shift does not sound strange to me. I have worked 16 hour shifts when it was needed. Proper compensation and a good work climate are what counts.

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    #8

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    K Witmer
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I lasted 2 days that c**p was insane. I was a floor manager not even a worker ant. Writing people up bc they had to poop was insane. Some workers wore diapers that was the last straw. I just walked away and got in my car half way thru my shift the second day

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    #9

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    Simply Moe
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's exactly what my Mother says. She calls it the modern day plantation

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    #10

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    Monika Soffronow
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am not American and I cannot for the life of me understand why you are OK with laws that permit this kind of work environment

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    #11

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    Lazy Farmer
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    People, don't worry about Pauline. She's most likely a russian bot designed to cause a conflict. Stop reacting to it, it will only encourage its activity... Same holds true for FB, please be careful as to whom you're replying to!! They're only designed to diffuse rage and misinformation

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    #14

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    Raynell
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know I should reply because you're a troll but really Pauline? A prison camp? Words mean things. Let's use them right so that we don't devalue actual horrific experiences.

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    Paizleypie
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would p**s myself for sure . . . Then I'd quit. There's no excuse for this.

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    Ronnie Beaton
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yeah, you finally get home, pry off your shoes, peel of your socks, and your feet look like two slabs of raw meat.

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    Cuddles
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If some company toadie told me I couldn't go relieve myself, I swear I would p**s right on the fools desk and walk out. >:|

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    #21

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    Mark Gettelman
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    4 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Working at Amazon for 3 years as a top performer. I have never had so many opportunities before. I even graduated from Penn Foster with an Electrician Degree. Currently, I am in a tier 3 position.

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    #24

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    Ronnie Beaton
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I worked Receive, I was continually getting Verbal Warnings and what have you for being a "low performer". So I decided to keep a running tally of how many items I did per hour, and add it all up at the end of my shift. My numbers and their numbers would never match up. Never. Initially I thought I'd got my figures wrong, but I asked my mother (who worked in an accounts office before she married my dad) to double check for me, and I was right - my numbers were consistently higher than the "official" Amazon ones.

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    Rubeus Hagrid
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pauline Bennet, many people have told you this and I will tell you this too, please f**k off with the unhelpful and unrealistic comments. This entire post has been full of your s**t spewing comments as you desperately try to garner attention to yourself by pretending to be a saviour of the people who would have beaten up Jeff Bezos and shoved Amazon parcels down his throat, when we all know you're just a sad f**k sitting behind your keyboard trying to get someone to accept and look up to you. From all the people who have had the unfortunate experience of reading all your comments, we request that you go through this entire post and remove your comments immediately.

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    #26

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    Monika Soffronow
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    @Pauline Bennet: I kind of hope that someone will report your comment to the FBI for instigating a terrorist act. You've written a load of thoughtless, tasteless comments here, but this one can land you in real trouble.

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    #27

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    Ronnie Beaton
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Every time there's a new intake of temps, five don't come back after morning break, another half a dozen don't come back after lunch, and of the remainder a further ten or a dozen don't come back for their next shift.

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    Suzanne Haigh
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I honestly do not know how Amazon is managing to run a business in the UK. We do have laws, although we lost a lot through a certain woman PM, this is not allowed in Britain.

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    #30

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    Ronnie Beaton
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If there's a two man job they think they can get away with just putting one guy on it, they'll do it in a heartbeat.

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    #31

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    C Pryce
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    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You quit because other people were late for work...?!?! 🤷

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