Distraught Amazon employees send AWS chief an open letter against RTO policy, calling it an ‘outright abdication’ of its role as industry leader

On Wednesday, 523 employees in the Amazon Web Services division sent its chief executive, Matt Garman, an open letter detailing their frustration with the new policy. 

“Our time working remotely during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic proved that we are effective, creative, and successful without being primarily in-person, and to take no lessons from that experience would be extremely disappointing, because Amazon is and always will be a global company,” the open letter reads. 

In September, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that as of January 2025, employees would have to return to the office five days a week. Amazon employees are currently expected to be in the office three days a week. The move set off a new wave of unrest at Amazon. Employees had previously voiced their displeasure with each new policy that required more days in the office through walkouts, open letters, and threatening to quit.  

Jassy and Amazon’s senior leadership regularly cite the need to return to the office in order to increase collaboration and innovation. Executives have reiterated their belief that these tasks are better performed via in-person work than remote work. 

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