U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has sent a letter to Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon, questioning the company’s plans to use automation and artificial intelligence in its warehouses. The senator warned that these changes could lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses for American workers.
The letter follows a New York Times report stating that Amazon executives believe automation could replace about 500,000 warehouse positions over time. The company currently employs about 1.55 million people, most of whom are hourly workers in fulfillment centers and delivery networks.
Sanders said such a massive shift toward robots would deeply affect blue-collar workers and could become a model for other corporations across the country. He asked Bezos whether Amazon plans to give laid-off workers fair severance pay and continued health insurance. The senator also questioned whether the company would provide any form of retraining or support for employees replaced by machines.
In the letter, Sanders wrote that if Amazon’s automation plan succeeds, it would have a “profound impact on blue-collar workers throughout America.” He noted that many Amazon employees already depend on federal aid for food, housing, and health care, despite working full-time. Sanders also pointed out that Amazon has received billions of dollars in federal contracts and argued that the company has a responsibility to support the workers who help make its success possible.
Amazon’s Response and Layoffs
Reuters, which obtained the letter, reported that Amazon did not immediately respond to Sanders’s questions. The company has previously said that its automation projects are designed to assist workers, not replace them. According to Amazon, technology such as robotics helps improve safety and efficiency in warehouses while creating new technical jobs in areas like maintenance and programming.
Still, job security concerns have grown after reports that Amazon plans to cut around 30,000 corporate roles as part of ongoing cost reductions. The company has been trimming expenses and restructuring since 2023 to focus on artificial intelligence, logistics automation, and its growing cloud-computing business.
Amazon’s management changes have also drawn attention. Bezos stepped down as chief executive in 2021 and was succeeded by Andy Jassy, who now leads the company. Jassy said earlier this year that advancements in AI could shrink the corporate workforce as the company becomes more efficient.
These developments add to a long-standing debate about how automation impacts employment. Critics have warned that automation can make work more demanding for remaining staff while reducing the number of available jobs. Sanders has been a consistent critic of Amazon, frequently raising issues about warehouse working conditions and the company’s opposition to union efforts.
Debate Over Automation and Worker Rights
The senator’s latest challenge to Bezos reflects a broader national conversation about the future of work. As automation and AI technologies become more advanced, many workers fear being replaced or left behind. Sanders said these workers are essential to the country’s economy and deserve fair treatment as technology reshapes industries.
White House criticizes Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez over social media posts on government shutdown
In his letter, Sanders directly asked Bezos: “What are Amazon’s plans to provide help and support for the many hundreds of thousands of workers you’ll be replacing with robots and AI?” The question underscores growing public concern about how large companies will manage the human cost of rapid technological change.
Although Bezos no longer handles Amazon’s daily operations, he remains closely associated with the company’s culture and direction. His influence, along with Jassy’s leadership, keeps Amazon at the center of debates about corporate responsibility and automation’s impact on workers.
Amazon maintains that innovation is key to staying competitive and that automation helps the company serve customers more effectively. Yet, the senator’s letter puts renewed pressure on one of the world’s largest employers to address how it plans to protect employees as machines increasingly take over human tasks.
The discussion highlights a crucial tension between technology and labor. As Amazon advances its robotics and AI systems, Sanders’s questions bring attention back to the workers who may bear the consequences of progress. His call for accountability adds urgency to the debate over whether companies like Amazon can balance innovation with fairness for the people behind their success.
