Amazon employees infuriated after learning about Jeff Bezos' personal life update: 'But they won't be giving raises this year'

It's hard to imagine any American business or figure who has taken more of a public "heel turn" than Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos.

For well over a decade, Amazon occupied a rarefied space in commerce, supplying its gigantic, enthusiastic customer base in virtually every retail category. 

In recent years, both Amazon and Bezos have fallen dramatically in the public's esteem for reasons as vast as its inventory. 

A steady stream of news about punitive workplace conditions, disregard for its environmental impact on communities, lack of pricing transparency, and its role in facilitating overconsumption are just some of the reasons Americans are less keen on "The Everything Store."

By this year, Bezos' public perception had grown increasingly negative as Amazon itself appeared to enter its "evil empire" era. News of his planned nuptials to Lauren Sánchez sparked a furor that only intensified when he and his wealthy friends descended on Venice, Italy, with 100 private jets.

Reddit's r/AmazonFC (short for "fulfillment center") is a hub for Amazon employees to talk shop, and its users were enraged to discover that Bezos had acquired his fourth private jet for the eminently reasonable price of $80 million.

In May 2024, the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois studied the economic security of average Amazon employees, and its findings were grim. 

Overall, 53% of Amazon workers experienced food insecurity in the preceding three-month span, 33% needed public assistance to make ends meet, and 23% relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to afford food.

Former labor secretary Robert Reich has long argued that American taxpayers subsidize corporations like Amazon and Walmart, enabling them to convert unpaid wages into profits — and workers on r/AmazonFC wholeheartedly agreed when discussing Bezos' new jet.

"And if I'm not correct, it costs $25 million to maintain his yachts per year," one replied, referring to Bezos' fleet of high-polluting toys like megayachts.

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"Remember: Breaks are only 15 minutes. Don't have 17 minutes ToT due to the far walk. No excuses. Jeffy Boy needs a 5th private jet," another reasonably complained, alluding to "time off task" during Amazon's infamously long, brutal hours with scant breaks.

"This is what the MET days are for, to get our boy another private jet," a third quipped, referring to mandatory extra overtime. 

However, the original post said what most were likely thinking: "But they won't be giving raises this year I bet."

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