Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, pictured on September 13, 2018.
Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos posted another email exchange with an angry customer who criticized the company’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Bezos called the customer’s email “sickening” in an Instagram post late Sunday, saying the person was the “kind of customer” he’d be “happy to lose.”
The customer’s email, which Bezos included in a screenshot, contains profanity-laced insults and racist slurs and says that Amazon’s decision to show solidarity with protesters “will ruin [Bezos’] company.”
“This sort of hate shouldn’t be allowed to hide in the shadows,” Bezos wrote.
“It’s important to make it visible. This is just one example of the problem. And, Dave, you’re the kind of customer I’m happy to lose.”
Bezos responded to a racist customer on Instagram: “You’re the kind of customer I’m happy to lose.”
Todd Haselton | CNBC
The post comes after Bezos last week shared another email exchange with an angry customer. Bezos clarified Amazon’s position on racial justice, saying that he supports the recent protests around police brutality and that “my stance won’t change.”
In recent days, protests have erupted nationwide over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police. On Wednesday, three former Minneapolis police officers were charged with aiding and abetting murder in connection with the killing of Floyd. Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck before he died, was also charged with second-degree murder, after he was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Amazon has joined a chorus of companies that have voiced support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Last Wednesday, Amazon announced it will donate $10 million to social justice organizations. The company also tweeted that the “inequitable and brutal treatment of Black people” must stop.
“We believe Black lives matter,” the company said. “We stand in solidarity with our Black employees, customers, and partners, and are committed to helping build a country and a world where everyone can live with dignity and free from fear.”
While Amazon was applauded for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, it has also faced some criticism. Organizations have called out the company for its ties with police and development of facial recognition technology. More than 1,000 police departments across the U.S. have partnerships with Ring, the smart doorbell security company owned by Amazon. Additionally, human rights groups have called for the ban of Amazon’s facial recognition technology, Rekognition, which they argue poses a threat to immigrants and religious minorities.
