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- Incoming Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has spoken out against police brutality and LGBTQ discrimination.
- Jassy tweeted the country can’t “let Breonna Taylor’s death go with no accountability.”
- Jeff Bezos tended to keep quiet on political issues in the past.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Amazon’s incoming chief executive doesn’t shy away from offering his opinion on politics.
Andy Jassy, the head of Amazon Web Services, will take the role of Amazon CEO from Jeff Bezos in the third quarter. Bezos said in a letter to employees published Tuesday that he will transition to executive chairman.
Unlike his boss, Jassy has tweeted potentially controversial opinions on issues like police brutality, immigration, and LGBTQ rights.
Jassy said in September the country “can’t let Breonna Taylor death go with no accountability,” in reference to the 26-year-old Black woman killed by police in her home.
"If you don't hold police depts accountable for murdering black people, we will never have justice and change, or be the country we aspire (and claim) to be," Jassy said.
—Andy Jassy (@ajassy) September 24, 2020
Jassy called the Supreme Court's 2020 ruling to shield 700,000 young immigrants from deportation a "good decision." He praised the Supreme Court again for protecting LGBTQ workers from discrimination.
The incoming said he was happy when California ended the use of private prisons and privately-run immigration detention facilities in 2019.
"It's nuts that the US has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the imprisoned population," Jassy said in a tweet. "And, the racial bias with which this incarceration is happening is awful."
—Andy Jassy (@ajassy) October 12, 2019
Bezos tended to keep quiet on political issues in the past. Unlike the majority of other top tech executives, he did not publicly condemn the violent insurrection at the US Capitol in January. During the nationwide protests against police brutality following George Floyd's killing, Bezos shared an essay by Shenequa Golding but did not give his own opinion on the situation.
Bezos did appear critical of former President Donald Trump, who had targeted the executive on Twitter. Amazon released a blog post lashing out at Trump after his administration upheld contracts between Microsoft and the Department of Defense. Bezos congratulated President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris shortly after the 2020 election.