Amazon
The company is contracting the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where Lynch is a partner, to perform the audit. Neither the firm nor Amazon have released any details regarding the audit, with the latter referring members of the press to its SEC filings.
"We serve diverse customers, operate in diverse communities, and rely on a diverse workforce." Amazon wrote in its filing. "Diversity, equity, and inclusion are cornerstones of our continued success and critical components of our culture. As part of our existing commitment to human and civil rights, racial equity, diversity and inclusion, and nondiscrimination, we are conducting a racial equity audit. The focus of the audit will be to evaluate any disparate racial impacts on our nearly one million U.S. hourly employees resulting from our policies, programs, and practices."
The audit was first proposed by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, representing the shares held by the state's Common Retirement Fund. While the tech giant has announced the audit, it has simultaneously urged shareholders to vote against a competing proposal for a racial and equity audit. In response, the Comptroller's office told CNN: "Comptroller DiNapoli and the state's pension fund look forward to learning more about Amazon's proposed racial equity audit but remain concerned that the company has provided few details and has made no assurances that the audit will be independent."
Amazon faces a litany of pressures as of late, many of them stemming from its corporate culture and policy-making decisions. From unionization pushes at warehouses to secure better working conditions to being referred to the Department of Justice for perjury by Congress, the ecommerce giant definitely feels the weight of regulatory scrutiny.
