Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was criticized for being tone-deaf yesterday when he failed to respond to the Amazon warehouse collapse that left six workers dead.
While this is not the only time Bezos has been called tone-deaf, social media slammed the entrepreneur after he posted a smiling selfie with the Blue Origin crew only hours after at least two fatalities were confirmed.
“Happy crew this morning in the training center…” he wrote alongside the pic.
“You should worry about the situation more,” one user commented.
“How tone deaf is @jeffbezos to post something like this when people have died in one of his warehouses?” another asked. “Shameful.”
“You think he heard about the warehouse collapse in Southern Illinois last night?” asked another. “This is a wild post after that happened LAST NIGHT LOL.”
“There’s nothing to ‘LOL’ about,” another user replied. “People are dead, missing, and traumatized.”
Jeff Bezos Posts Short Tweet Addressing The Tragedy
The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones. (1/2)
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 12, 2021
While he made no mention of it on Instagram, Bezos did release a short tweet late Saturday night to express condolences.
“The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” he wrote.
“All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis,” he added. “We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site.”
Still, many users were not happy with his late response.
“Little late?” one asked. “Were you prepping Strahan for flight? Jeff, pay for everything [or] zip it.”
“Wow. Heartfelt,” another added. “What template was that in, Office365?”
“So compensate the families for not providing appropriate shelter for a workplace in a tornado zone and making them work during an active tornado instead of sheltering,” another added.
“Jeff, does Amazon have protocols in place for severe weather?” another asked. “When a tornado warning is issued, WORK SHOULD STOP. Page everyone. All employees should shelter IMMEDIATELY. NO EXCEPTIONS. Employees are human beings; their safety is more important than shipping a package.”
Six Dead After Warehouse Collapse, No Hope For More Survivors
We’ve been closely monitoring the terrible situation in Edwardsville, and are heartbroken over the loss of our team members. Our thoughts are with their families at this difficult time. (1/2)
— Andy Jassy (@ajassy) December 11, 2021
As of Saturday night, six workers were confirmed dead in the Amazon warehouse collapse northeast of St. Louis, Illinois. According to the Edwardsville Police Department, one of the walls the length of a football field collapsed, causing the roof above it to cave in as well.
At least 45 Amazon workers were able to be rescued from the rubble; however, Fire Chief James Whiteford said that they’ve lost hope of finding any more survivors. Search and rescue efforts have ceased as they shift into recovery efforts that could take over a week.
At the time of the tornado, Amazon did not have an exact number of people who were working in the warehouse, so it is unclear how many people may still remain unaccounted for.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker responded to the tragedy by saying “Everyone assumes they will be safe at work. We don’t think that they will never come home.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also posted a tweet on Saturday afternoon, saying, “We’ve been closely monitoring the terrible situation in Edwardsville, and are heartbroken over the loss of our team members. Our thoughts are with their families at this difficult time.”
“As this situation continues to evolve, I want our Edwardsville community to know we are working closely with local officials & first responders to support them,” he added. “My deepest sympathies are with the Amazon community and all impacted.”
