Amazon Says Jeff Bezos Is Willing To Testify Before Congress

Jeff Bezos, Amazon's chief executive, is willing to testify before a House antitrust investigation (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source) into the market power of major tech companies alongside other chief executives, a lawyer for Amazon wrote to lawmakers on Sunday. The New York Times reports: Amazon had resisted making him available to the House Judiciary Committee, the group overseeing the antitrust investigation, prompting lawmakers to threaten to legally compel Mr. Bezos to testify. The panel is likely to question Mr. Bezos, the world's richest person, about claims that Amazon boxes out small businesses, abuses its power and mistreats warehouse workers. If he testifies before the committee, it will be Mr. Bezos' first appearance before Congress.

In the letter sent on Sunday, Robert K. Kelner of the law firm Covington & Burling, which is representing Amazon before the congressional investigation, said the company was "committed to cooperating with your inquiry and will make the appropriate executive available to testify." He added: "This includes making Jeff Bezos available to testify at a hearing with the other C.E.O.s this summer." Mr. Kelner said Mr. Bezos' availability was dependent on first resolving several issues, including timing, format and questions about the committee's request for internal documents.

Oh good, another finger wagging session.

[nightflameauto]

This type of political theater is all about convincing us common plebes that the politicians aren't directly tied to the people they're scolding in these committee hearings. They'll gnash and they'll carry on about how damaging these huge corporations are to the American public and then everything will go back to the way it's been and nothing of substance will come of it other than some public displays of consternation and private meetings between the execs and the same politicians publicly decrying their dominance to laugh about what gullible turds us commoners must be.

I'd be totally and utterly shocked if congress takes any action beyond putting on this little skit for us commoners. It makes it look like they care, sucks up some spotlight time, and convinces the majority they're worth voting for next time. It's sad and pathetic, but this is the government we've chosen to live with.

Re:

[timeOday]

In this case I'm not very sold on punishing Amazon's success, at least not yet. I feel like I'm willing to listen to a compelling case that Amazon is an abusive monopoly and simply haven't heard one. Long-term I think being in such a crazy-large number of different industries will be hard to maintain instead of allowing to swallow up them all.

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[The Evil Atheist]

Underpaying workers is being an abusive monopoly. They can afford margins that other business can't because they have to pay their workers fairly, and give them fair working conditions.

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[BringsApples]

Maybe the Amazon workers could strike? Or they could turn to violent protests. One of those should do the trick. Oh, and "The People" could simply stop purchasing things from Amazon.com.

But the wheels of business aren't going to stop themselves. Since all congressmen and senators are or were high-level execs of major businesses, their view is narrow in these matters. No one in their right mind would trust politicians to bring about change. It's The People that have to do it, and most of the time, The

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[slycyberguy]

So you never heard of AT&T or Standard Oil?

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[nightflameauto]

That was a long time ago. In political terms, that's just this side of the dinosaurs. Most of the government now is either directly tied up with these large businesses, or accepting massive "campaign" donations from them. Why would they do anything to disrupt that?

If you've been threatened with a subpoena

[rsilvergun]

I wouldn't exactly call that "willing".

Meanwhile while I don't suppose this'll hurt I would much rather see them going after stuff like Private Equity Firms and the company that bought every apartment complex in my city and jacked my rent 20% or the companies that keep buying life saving medicine producing companies and then jacking the price up 3000+%....

I mean, if they'd done this to Walmart back in the day fine, but this isn't closing the barn door, this is drawing a ring around it with a stick after it's burned to ashes.

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[ranton]

If you've been threatened with a subpoena, I wouldn't exactly call that "willing".

If Bezos isn't filing a motion to quash the subpoena that sounds like being willing to me. The story didn't claim he volunteered to testify.

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[sedwards8675309]

Please....they subpoena'd Bolton and he told them to go stuff themselves. They subponea'd Stephen Bannon and he told them to go stuff themselves, THEN when he finally did show, he had the audacity to claim Executive Privilege for shit that happened BEFORE the election. Stop it already with the scary threat of a Congressional Subpoena. They want money.

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[fermion]

Testifying in front of congress, our any testimony at the federal level, is now so much a joke that Bezos can get up there and say whatever he wants, and nothing will come of it. Back in the cigaret companies and presidents were taking down for lying. Now, congress has made itself irrelevant by refusing to fully prosecute people who lied to it, and the justice department has make entrapment so expansive that no witness should ever have to worry about telling the truth ever again.

Alexa transcript leaked

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

Some hackers found and released a recent Alexa conversation.

Jeff: Alexa, buy the House Antitrust committee.

Alexa: Done.

Jeff: Alexa, agree to testify before the House Antitrust committee.

Social Distance

[backslashdot]

Remotely. Over Zoom only. Because of COVID. Plus its harder to arrest him on the spot.

Yes

[backslashdot]

But only on the topic of Jesus, whom he has accepted as his Lord and savior and thus will testify as to his mercy.

Hasm't Congress got more important things to do

[rossdee]

Like the economic recession , Covid Pandemic, police brutality and so on

File it away and watch.

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

As Dana Carvey as one of those Arnie musclebound cousins might say, "Hear me now and believe me later." This is about threatening a breakup because they aren't censoring in just...the...right...way.

Hear me now and believe me later after it unfolds.

That's nice.

[denny_deluxe]

I hope, whenever the legal system decides I have violated the law, that I don't have to show up in court until I want to.

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[nightflameauto]

Make millions upon millions of dollars and you too can be treated as "special." It's the American way.