Amazon ignored its own: No advocacy for its employee, former hostage Sasha Troufanov

Amazon is in hot water today as it was revealed to the X account StopAntisemitism that Amazon employees were instructed not to advocate for the release of Amazon engineer Sasha Trufanov, released today (Saturday) from Hamas captivity along with Yair Horn & Sagui Dekel-Chen.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy finally spoke out about hostage Sasha Trufanov, only after his release today. Jassy wrote to Amazon employees: "I am incredibly relieved to share the news that our AWS teammate, Sasha Trufanov, has been released from Hamas captivity...We will continute to support them (Sasha and his family) and do everything we can to help them heal...Thank you to all who advocated tirelessly for his return."

Amazon’s silence drew widespread criticism. Major global corporations often express solidarity with employees in crisis, but Amazon made no mention of Trufanov’s abduction in official statements. Reports suggested that management's instruction to employees to avoid public support, was an attempt to maintain neutrality.

Amazon’s silence sparked outrage among its Israeli employees and the public, with social activists condemning the company for failing to acknowledge Alexander Sasha Troufanov’s captivity. Many compared Amazon’s inaction to other global firms that have openly supported employees in similar situations, viewing the tech giant’s response as a display of deliberate indifference.

Now that Troufanov is free, lingering questions remain: Was Amazon’s silence a strategic decision to avoid political controversy, or does it reflect a broader corporate detachment from employee welfare? Regardless of the motive, the company’s inaction sets a troubling precedent for multinational corporations handling employee crises.