Bernie Sanders Slams Jeff Bezos: "Will You Simply Dump These Workers Out on the Street?"

[CentralMass]

https://share.newsbreak.com/fozifvk5
"U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), known advocate for workers’ rights and organizer of “Fight the Oligarchy” rallies across the country, is reacting to a report about Amazon getting ready to replace more than half a million jobs with robots.
According to The New York Times, “Amazon’s automation team expects the company can avoid hiring more than 160,000 people in the United States it would otherwise need by 2027.”

That portrait of a retail behemoth with a much smaller employee footprint got a push this week as Amazon announced it would cut 14,000 mostly white collar workers as it transitions into a more AI-centric company. And Reuters reported on Monday that Amazon plans to cut as many as 30,000 jobs, shedding about one in ten of its 350,000 salaried jobs.
Sanders wrote on social media: “Amazon’s plan to replace 600,000 workers with AI and robots could save it $10 billion on top of billions more in tax breaks. Today, I demanded answers from Jeff Bezos: Will you simply dump these workers out on the street, or will you treat them with the dignity they deserve?”
Sanders also railed that “Trump gave Amazon a $16 billion tax break to accelerate its investments this year. Now, Amazon will replace 600,000 workers with robots as Jeff Bezos accelerates his plan to automate warehouses. No. Corporate tax breaks do not trickle down to workers. Never have. Never will.”

[RainCaster]

1. We all know the answer to that

Dump them! Billionaires have no responsibility to the society that made them.

[mwmisses4289]

2. Only following in the footsteps of the auto industry,

which began their push to automate in the 1980's and 1990's.

[BannonsLiver]

4. Jeff, is that you?

[mwmisses4289]

5. Nope.

Wouldn't want to be somebody that soulless and uncaring for anything.
Just pointing out that he isn't the first to automate and throw workers out the door. I mean, he's gotta pay for that ocean going yacht somehow, right?

[ret5hd]

3. "uhhhh...yeah. i don't understand...

what you’re getting at.”

[CentralMass]

8. I posted an article with comments from Bernie Sanders.

So that was point, to share that article.
However as far as my opinion, I share Bernies concerns that a company that receives considerable tax breaks is workinh to profit over employment by work on multiple fronts to eliminate workers through AI and robotics.
Amazon made $21.5 billion in profit last quarter.

[ret5hd]

9. I think you missed it...

that was meant to be read as Bezos' reply to Sanders, as in Bezos just saying "well yeah, what else do you think I'm going to do?"

[Redleg]

6. Bezos gets richer and many of his employees go on unemployment

I think this will be a pattern in companies that can use AI to reduce headcount. I don't think we are prepared for what downsides this will bring about. And don't anybody mention "creative destruction" to me or I will tell you to fuck off.