Has Amazon’s Bezos, world’s richest man, really asked public to donate for his employees

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos faces a minor backlash over the company asking for public donations to a relief fund it created for its contract and seasonal workers over the impact of coronavirus.

In early March, the world’s largest e-commerce company announced the Amazon Relief Fund with $25m, which will offer grants of $400 to $5,000 to  help “employees and partners”. The company is offering grants worth up to two weeks of pay to workers who were diagnosed with coronavirus or face financial hardship amid the health crisis.

Amazon launched relief fund website but didn’t publicly request donations except on this website.

Amazon has changed the language on its site to clarify that public donations aren’t being requested. The company says that because of the fund’s structure, it’s required to allow for individual donations. That donate button is still there, but now with more clarification that Amazon doesn’t expect you to give.

“We are not and have not asked for donations and the Amazon Relief Fund has been funded by Amazon with an initial donation of $25 million. The structure to operate a fund like this, which hundreds of companies do through the same third-party, requires the program to be open to public contributions but we are not soliciting those contributions in any way,” a spokesperson with Amazon told The Independent.