The Case against Amazon's Lackluster Philanthropy

The sheer size of Amazon's wealth allows it to make seemingly large donations while not effecting their bottom line at all. One of the most glaring examples of this is Bezos's decision in January 2019 to create a $33 million college fund for 1,000 Dreamers, undocumented students who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program (DACA). Proportionally, this is the equivalent of a person with a networth of $100,000 making a $30 donation (given that Bezos was worth $108 billion when he announced his donation). This decision fell short of any real change. This publicity stunt, seemingly to show Amazon's support for both education and immigration, is misaligned with the realities that not only do many of Amazon's own warehouse employees not make enough to comfortably send their own kids to colllege but Amazon has continued to maintain its relationship with ICE (see 'INSERT ICE HEADLINE BELOW'). 

Amazon Smile allows online shoppers to opt into donating 0.5% of their purchase to charities that sign up. The problem with this is that the moral feeling consumers get when they shop through Amazon Smile is far greater than the meagerness of the contribution - you would have to purchase $200 worth of goods to donate a single dollar through Amazon Smile. In addition, charities who ask their supporters to shop through Amazon to 'support' their organization are essentially giving Amazon free access to their supporter base with very limited return. 

We cannot rely on or expect the philanthropy of billionaires to provide a better future today - we need the redistribution of wealth now, beginning by taxing the rich. 

Time and time again, Bezos's greed stands out even when compared to other billionaires, like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg [source]. Out of the 5 richest people on earth, Bezos remains the only one to not have signed the Giving Pledge, an agreement to contribute half of their wealth to philanthropic causes. It's not that Bezos has lacked opportunity to demonstrate his charitable side - during the coronavirus pandemic, Bezos donated $125 million, which seems significant until you realize that it's the equivalent of the average American household contributing $85. 

By proportion, Amazon's philanthropic efforts are notoriously small - in Amazon's HQ city, Seattle, Amazon has only invested $1.5 million for community growth. Boeing, the former largest employer in Seattle, invested $1.3 billion in community related philanthropy - nearly 1,000 times what Amazon has done. During the Australian wildfires, Amazon donated $625,000 - less than the individual efforts of celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Chris Hemsworth, and Elton John, who each donated $1 million of their own personal wealth.