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15 Jun, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Exclusive: this investigation took us all the way to Bezos and the heart of Amazon’s employment model. We have a lot of new information, and Twitter convention says I need to start shooting it out this second. But I don’t feel ready. (Thread.) nyti.ms/2SDFpXz
Because my deepest wish is that you read this story yourself. It’s about a group of people who had very intense journeys with Amazon over the past year. We would love for you to experience those stories, as we did in nine months of reporting, without knowing the endings.
Our team (@KYWeise @gr_ashford and I) would love to hear your reactions. And the company had a wide, fascinating array of responses to our findings-- silence, disagreement, admission, apology. We want to hear what you make of those too.
I will go ahead and post more specific details later. But to anyone who comes on this trip with us, to the core of some of Amazon’s most difficult issues: thank you.

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More from @jodikantor

Jodi Kantor Profile picture
15 Jun
A key finding of this story is that Jeff Bezos *intentionally* encouraged turnover among hourly Amazon workers-- an approach with massive consequences (thread)
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Bezos feared a long-serving work force, calling it “a march to mediocrity,” according to David Niekerk, who was the architect of HR in Amazon’s warehouses.
This was because Bezos believed that people were inherently lazy. “What he would say is that our nature as humans is to expend as little energy as possible to get what we want or need,” Niekerk said.
Read 16 tweets
Jodi Kantor Profile picture
15 Jun
We have *lot* of new info on Amazon. Please read the article-- a real story, with twists. But here’s a roadmap of our findings on sky-high turnover, alarming racial inequities, mistaken firings, and how it all ties back to Bezos' ideas about lazy workers. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Amazon boasts about its hiring. But for the first time, @kyweise obtained Amazon’s turnover numbers: roughly 150% per year. This is so extreme that multiple Seattle leaders told her they worry about running out of workers.
Amazon responded to multiple queries about this by expressing pride in short-term work and saying "Attrition is only one data point, which when used alone lacks important context."

But if it's your job on the line...?
Read 6 tweets
Jodi Kantor Profile picture
25 Jan
This thread is for parents of teenagers. I have something for you: the first chapter of @ronlieber’s THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR COLLEGE. Because ye gods, here’s what we and our kids are facing. bit.ly/3pfXrKM
Beyond obvious changes, like $$$ tuition prices, the system has changed from when we were in school. Nearly all colleges use so-called “merit-aid” to pay kids for good grades.
nytimes.com/2021/01/23/bus…
This is NOT need-based financial aid, and it’s not about expanding college access for the poor... it's an arms race by schools scrambling for US News rankings.
Read 12 tweets
Jodi Kantor Profile picture
22 Jul 20
In reporting this story, I learned so much about how airplanes are really cleaned, gathering info from scientists, pilots, flight attendants, airlines, and (most critically) cabin cleaners themselves. A short thread, in case you're debating whether to fly: nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/…
Cleaning has become a marketing tool, and the airlines have publicized a ton about overnight disinfection, sprays they say repel the virus for days on end, etc. But scientists say one task is paramount:
Cleaning between flights. You do not want to slide into a seat that was occupied by a virus-shedder an hour before, with little to no protection.
Read 12 tweets
Jodi Kantor Profile picture
17 Jul 20
NEW: We asked janitors from airlines to offices to Disney how things are really being cleaned as coronavirus rages. Many raised alarms and revealed glaring problems. Dirty rags. Bathrooms that are not disinfected. (Thread)
nyti.ms/3fGY8b3
2/Think about how many custodians work: Unseen. At night. Jobs go to the lowest bidder. Median wage is $13 an hour. In recent years, many workplaces have cut back on cleaning. (I hadn’t known this.) Now: Enter coronavirus.
3/Airplane cleaners say many between-flight cleanings are still under 10 minutes. “Just pick up trash, check the seatbelts, cross them, make it look good, and if a tray table looks dirty, you wipe it,” said Barbara Gomez, who cleans American Airlines planes at LAX.
Read 11 tweets
Jodi Kantor Profile picture
27 Mar 20
New: for this latest Dilemmas column, we took on the question of whether it's truly safe to take a walk. If you think the answer is simple or easy, read on (thread) nyti.ms/2WMFacA
The outdoors is becoming contested ground. Parks and trails in the US are being closed due to overcrowding. In France you can only exercise for one hour, alone, with a permission form. India’s prime minister just told 1.3 billion (!) people to stay indoors.
Sure, there are people still shamelessly congregating, but there are also a lot of people like 77 year old Barrie Motola, living in a one room studio, terrified to go outdoors.
Read 10 tweets

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