1. This leaked Amazon memo is truly amazing for so many reasons. First, there was a deliberate smear campaign to demonize an employee demanding safety measures. They fired him and called him “not smart or articulate.” vice.com/en_us/article/…
2. This conversation occurred at a CEO level. What big tech is doing to address the pandemic is largely a mirage, and often deeply cynical. “If we can get masks in quantity it’s a fantastic gift if we donate strategically,” wrote Amazon General Counsel David Zapolsky.
3. There's even a China angle. “China has deemed N95 masks as ‘strategic,’” Zapolsky wrote. “They’re keeping them for optionality. They also want to use them for ‘diplomacy.’ The masks in China that we thought we had probably got redirected by profiteers.” vice.com/en_us/article/…
4. Basically any powerful autocratic institution, whether Amazon or the Chinese government, is focused not on addressing the crisis but *using* the crisis to seize political power.
6. And to be clear, Amazon is far more dependent on China than they let on, so Bezos would never do anything to upset the PRC. They probably scoff at Trump or U.S. political leaders of course.
