Andy Jassy Brings Politics Onto Twitter But Not Into Business

Andy Jassy has taken on a major role not only in business but in society as a whole. The former Amazon Web Services head, Andy Jassy took over the CEO role at Amazon on July 5 from founder Jeff Bezos.

While many corporations are able to largely stay out of the political landscape to focus on business, Amazon’s influence on modern society means that Jassy likely won't be able to avoid politically charged decisions. As he takes the helm from the world’s wealthiest man, he faces many challenges in maintaining Amazon’s success.

Jassy might not have explicitly brought politics into work with him, but he has commented in the past on his own Twitter page and in other settings about political issues. He has given left-leaning opinions on issues like immigration, police brutality, and LGBTQ rights.

Jassy’s actions in the aftermath of the January 6 events at the U.S. Capitol have some prominent conservatives concerned about the future. Dan Gainor, the president of the Media Research Center, noted in February that he was worried because “they went after Parler in a very specific attack,” according to The Washington Times.

Gainor was referring to when Amazon Web Services, the division of Amazon headed by Jassy, suspended cloud services to the conservative-leaning social media website Parler. The cause given to Parler was the appearance of posts that could “clearly encourage and incite violence,” according to CNBC.

Jassy has a role as a commissioner on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, a group that guides policymakers on artificial intelligence issues, reported Bloomberg.

Elana Jassy, Andy Jassy’s wife, has also made financial contributions to Democratic candidates and committees.

While Bezos has tended to avoid making overtly political public statements, Jassy has taken to Twitter to offer his opinions on hot-button issues. For example, he has voiced his support for LGBTQ causes and spoken out against police brutality.

In September 2020, he tweeted about the need for there to be accountability regarding the death of Breonna Taylor in her home. He also called the Supreme Court decision not to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program last June a “good decision.”

In another politically-charged statement, Jassy included his support for ending private prisons and private immigration detention centers in California in 2019. He also mentioned “racial bias” as a major contributing factor in incarcerations in that same tweet.

Jassy responded positively in June 2020 when the Supreme Court voted to outlaw discrimination in the workplace against LGBTQ people.

As Jassy assumes his new head executive role, he faces antitrust litigation and ongoing issues with Amazon workers attempting to unionize (Alabama warehouse workers lost their bid for unionization rights in the spring).

Brad Stone, a senior editor at Bloomberg News, noted, “I think Jassy has to kind of make Amazon a more empathetic company, a friendlier company,” according to NPR. His political views will likely be difficult to separate from the way he runs the e-commerce giant in its next era.