Amazon investigating engineers who criticized AI data center expansion
cnbc.com
June 18, 2026
3 min read
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44/100
Summary
Amazon is investigating engineers who publicly criticized the rapid expansion of AI data centers and called for stronger government regulation. Five employees testified at Seattle City Council meetings regarding a year-long moratorium on new large-scale data center construction.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon is investigating employees who criticized the rapid expansion of AI data centers and called for stronger government regulation.
- Seattle City Council unanimously passed a moratorium on new large-scale data centers on June 9 to allow time for regulation.
- The complaint filed by the employees alleges that Amazon is violating a Seattle ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on political ideology.
- Amazon plans to spend up to $200 billion on capital expenditures this year, primarily for AI infrastructure, while having laid off 30,000 corporate employees since October.
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