--- title: "Amazon employees subjected to internal investigation after publicly criticizing data center expansion" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/290241492.md" description: "Five Amazon employees are under internal investigation for publicly criticizing the company's AI data center expansion and calling for regulation at a Seattle City Council hearing. The Seattle City Council has unanimously passed a one-year moratorium on the construction of new large data centers. According to the complaint documents, three employees were invited to an HR meeting after the hearing, where they were informed that the company is conducting an internal investigation regarding their public testimonies" datetime: "2026-06-18T20:08:26.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/290241492.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290241492.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/290241492.md) --- # Amazon employees subjected to internal investigation after publicly criticizing data center expansion A group of Amazon engineers publicly criticized the company's reckless expansion of artificial intelligence data centers and called for increased government regulation, and they are now facing an internal investigation by the company. Earlier this month, the Seattle City Council in the United States solicited public opinion on a policy: the local government plans to pause new large data center projects for one year to allow time for the city to improve relevant regulatory rules. Five Amazon employees attended the hearing and testified. On June 9, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed the ban on construction. Several employees criticized tech companies for their massive spending in the AI field during the hearing, describing this expansion model as an "unlimited cost AI infrastructure race." According to a complaint filed by the employees' attorney with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights this Friday, after the hearing, three Amazon employees were invited to participate in an online meeting organized by the Human Resources department. HR stated that the company had received relevant reports and was conducting an internal investigation into the public testimonies of several employees at the city council. The complaint document states that employees were informed that the results of this investigation could lead to disciplinary action against them, with one employee being warned that the most severe consequence could be immediate termination. The employees expressed that Amazon's inquiry made them feel fearful and anxious about their future employment situation. The complaint document also pointed out that several employees discovered that the company had been monitoring their political advocacy activities directed at the city council and was attempting to identify other internal employees involved in such political activities. This complaint alleges that Amazon violated local municipal regulations in Seattle: the regulations explicitly prohibit companies from implementing employment discrimination based on employees' political views, race, religion, age, and other factors. An Amazon spokesperson, Margaret Callahan, stated in a statement that if employees wish to publicly express opinions on behalf of Amazon, they must follow the company's established procedures and may not represent the company externally without permission ### Related Stocks - [AMZN.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZN.US.md) - [AMZD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZD.US.md) - [AMZZ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZZ.US.md) - [AMZU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZU.US.md) - [AMZW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZW.US.md) - [AMZO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZO.US.md) - [AMZY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZY.US.md) - [AZYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AZYY.US.md) - [AMZP.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AMZP.US.md) - [MAGX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MAGX.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Amazon Plans $10B Missouri Data Center Campus](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290258573.md) - [Kyndryl's Expanded Amazon AWS AI Deal Highlights Push Beyond AI Pilots](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290225754.md) - [Hot Off the Press – Walmart Outscores Rival Amazon in Positive News Sentiment](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290230484.md) - [Amazon announces Beautyverse 2026 - India’s largest beauty experience with Bollywood's biggest stars and brands](https://longbridge.com/en/news/290002766.md) - [Amazon’s Smart Thermostat is on sale for just $58](https://longbridge.com/en/news/289821890.md)