3 Amazon Workers Say They’re Under Investigation for Speaking Out About Data Centers

Three software engineers at Amazon say they are under internal investigation for speaking publicly about data center regulation at city council meetings, which they believe is illegal retaliation for expressing their personal political beliefs. The employees argue they clearly identified themselves as members of a worker advocacy group and did not represent themselves as company spokespeople, while Amazon claims they may have spoken in their capacity as employees without permission. The workers filed a complaint with Seattle's civil rights office, citing a local law that prohibits employers from discriminating based on employees' political beliefs. The dispute reflects broader tensions over data centers, which are consuming increasing amounts of power and water to support growing AI demand, and whether workers can publicly participate in debates about industry regulation without facing employer retaliation.