Amazon employees who called out its data centre expansion are under investigation, here is why

Amazon is allegedly investigating employees who criticised the company's rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centres and supported tighter regulation of such projects in Seattle.

In Short

• Amazon employees allege they faced internal scrutiny after speaking at Seattle City Council hearings
• Complaint claims Amazon employees were warned the investigation could lead to disciplinary action
• The dispute comes amid growing concerns over AI data centres' impact on jobs ands environment

Amazon is reportedly investigating several employees who publicly criticised the company's growing investment in artificial intelligence data centres and called for tighter regulation of such projects in Seattle.

The dispute emerged earlier this month after a group of Amazon employees testified before the Seattle City Council, raising concerns about the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and its impact on jobs, local communities and the environment. Now, according to a new complaint filed with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, some of those employees allege that Amazon launched an internal investigation into their actions following their public testimony.

According to a report by CNBC, the complaint claims that three Amazon employees were separately called into Zoom meetings with a human resources representative after speaking at public hearings. During those meetings, they were informed that Amazon was investigating concerns related to their testimony.

The complaint further alleges that the employees were told the inquiry could lead to disciplinary action and, in at least one case, that the potential consequences could extend to termination.

The employees also noted that they felt "intimidated and uncertain in their future employment" following the meetings.

“They also learned that Amazon was monitoring their political advocacy before the Seattle City Council and was seeking to identify additional employees who had engaged in political activities,” notes the complaint.

What is the controversy

The controversy comes as Seattle is planning around how to regulate the growing number of AI data-centre projects proposed around the city. On June 9, the City Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new large-scale data centres, giving officials time to study their impact and develop new regulations. The decision followed public opposition to plans for several large data-centre complexes in and around Seattle.

At the hearings leading up to the vote, Amazon employees argued that Big Tech companies are racing to build AI infrastructure at an unprecedented pace.

Patrick Schloesser, a software engineer at Amazon Web Services, pointed to Amazon's reported $200 billion capital spending plans for 2026, much of which is expected to go towards AI infrastructure and data centres.

"It's been reported that this year, Amazon is spending $200 billion on capital, with most of it going to data centres and AI," Schloesser said during the hearing. Referring to recent job cuts across the company, he added: "What that tells me is that Big Tech is desperate to build as much compute capacity as it can, as fast as it can."

Another Amazon employee, senior software engineer Liesl Wigand, even urged local governments to take a stronger role in overseeing data-centre development.

"Local governments, in collaboration with community stakeholders, should be setting the terms for data centre buildout," she said. She also warned against allowing technology companies to dictate the pace of expansion, adding: "Let's not let Big Tech burn Seattle to win the AI race."

Amazon, however, maintains that the issue is not about employees expressing personal views. Company spokesperson Margaret Callahan told CNBC that Amazon supports employees' right to speak on public issues but believes some workers may have appeared to be speaking on behalf of the company rather than as private citizens.

"We're investigating whether there was a violation of our policies and may or may not take action based on what we find," Callahan said. She also disputed claims that Amazon had threatened employees with termination and stressed that the company does not tolerate retaliation.

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