For makers and artists relying on the massive compute power of data centres, the regulatory landscape is shifting. Three Amazon engineers in Seattle now say they face internal investigations for speaking publicly about the environmental cost of these facilities. Their actions, intended to advocate for stricter controls, have triggered a corporate response that feels like a threat to their livelihoods.
The backlash against public advocacy
Earlier this month, five current Amazon staff members publicly urged the Seattle City Council to impose regulations on data centres. This was an unprecedented display of advocacy by tech workers. Now, three of those staffers claim they are under internal investigation for allegedly representing themselves as company spokespeople without prior approval.
Patrick Schloesser, one of the affected employees, dismissed the claim as ridiculous and patently absurd. The three software engineers, who work in different divisions and all reside in Seattle, believe they are being unfairly targeted for expressing their political beliefs. They filed a joint complaint on Thursday to Seattle’s Office for Civil Rights, according to the employees and a filing seen by WIRED.
They accused Amazon of illegally attempting to intimidate and retaliate against them for expressing personal opinions outside of work regarding the need to regulate the environmental and social impacts of data centres.
Legal grounds and corporate response
“Seattle is one of just a few jurisdictions in the country that prohibits private employers from discriminating against their employees based on the political beliefs they hold and the organisations they belong to,” says Abby Lawlor, an attorney at Barnard Iglitzin & Lavitt who is advising the employees.
Lawlor emphasised that legal tools exist to ensure tech workers can be full democratic participants in local discussions. “We hope the city of Seattle will do its part to ensure that this vital Seattle law is enforced,” she stated.
Amazon and the Seattle civil rights office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Margaret Callahan, an Amazon spokesperson, previously told WIRED that the company respects employees’ right to voice their opinions and that it tries to be a responsible steward in the communities where it operates.
Details of the investigation
The Amazon employees took to the city lectern to advocate for various regulations that Seattle is considering imposing on data centres. Amazon does not have a current or proposed data centre in the city, but several other companies have put forth plans for new projects.
The workers who say they are under investigation-Darius Irani, Liesel Wigand, and Schloesser-tell WIRED they were each separately called into virtual meetings with an Amazon employee relations staffer last Wednesday. They were told an investigation may take one to two weeks and have received no updates so far, besides being directed to use a speaker registration form that they do not feel applies to the personal comments they made.
Schloesser recalls being told the probe could lead to being fired.
Broader patterns of suppression
The three workers contend Amazon has a pattern of trying both to silence collective action by workers, including at its warehouses, and dodging public criticism of data centres by using confidentiality agreements and other tactics to shield the projects from some scrutiny.
The affected workers say they have received numerous messages of support from colleagues and no internal criticism, aside from in the meetings with HR. In remarks during public comment periods at three city meetings this month, the workers identified themselves as members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a collective of thousands of current and former workers at the tech giant that has long advocated for the company to better address its role in contributing to climate change.
The employees did not say they were speaking on behalf of the company, which to their knowledge did not make any formal comment about the data centre measure at issue. Two other Amazon workers who spoke at later city council meetings say they have not received notice that they are under investigation.
Personal stakes and the climate crisis
Schloesser, who has been at Amazon for about six years, and Irani, who has more than five years at the company, say they felt compelled to join the growing nationwide movement against unfettered data centre construction for their own reasons. They believe no reasonable person could have interpreted their remarks as representing Amazon.
“I took the step to be public for the first time because I got sick of feeling afraid to stand up for my values,” Schloesser told the city council last week. “Those of us who work in tech have a role in this moment. We want the council members to include us in the process of developing good, equitable AI and data center policy.”
Schloesser tells WIRED he spoke at that meeting and an earlier one “to show tech is not a monolith, and there are those of us who have reservations,” about what the industry is doing. He describes the unexpected Zoom call with HR as “horrifying,” leaving his heart racing and mind frantic minutes before he needed to give an internal presentation at the office.
“I cannot abide by corporations trying to silence employees who are expressing their right to speak politically,” he says. “It’s incredibly dangerous if we allow corporations to do this.”
In his public comments, Irani suggested Seattle could require data centres to use renewable energy and innovative cooling technologies while also contributing to citywide broader citywide initiatives to address climate change. “I should be able to speak out about what’s important to me, and what’s important to me is that Seattle should be regulating AI and data centers, and that’s why I’m reporting Amazon for violating city law” by threatening discipline for his speech, Irani tells WIRED.
Data centres have become a political flashpoint because, while they can attract significant investment to communities, they are consuming increasing amounts of power and water to meet surging demand for AI. Amazon has developed technologies aimed at reducing the amount of resources its facilities consume, but a growing movement across the US is pushing for new ways to hold it and other companies accountable to their environmental goals.
After receiving dozens of supportive comments from members of the public, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a one-year moratorium on new data centre construction to allow time to impose new rules on the industry. It was an emergency measure, giving it immediate effect, though the city’s mayor has also said she plans to formally sign off on it.
Key takeaways
- Three Amazon engineers in Seattle are facing internal investigations for public advocacy regarding data centre regulation, a move they claim violates Seattle’s laws protecting political expression.
- The employees, part of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, argue their remarks were personal and that the company is using HR probes to intimidate staff and suppress collective action.
- In response to public pressure, the Seattle City Council has unanimously enacted a one-year moratorium on new data centre construction to develop stricter environmental and social rules.
