Why Amazon’s 1st worker is scared of what Jeff Bezos’ firm has become; says co must be broken up

Billionaire Jeff Bezos had founded Amazon in 1994. He was in India recently for a few days’ visit. (Reuters photo)

Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon has scared its first employee who has said that he’s concerned about how big the US-based company has become. While admitting that he is proud of the company, Shel Kaphan, who was the first person to join Amazon after its inception in 1994, said that “On one hand, I’m proud of what it became, but it also scares me, CNBC reported this week. One of the most valuable companies in the world, Amazon has a market cap of $1.04 trillion. Given its sheer size and influence on the small businesses, Amazon should be broken up, Shel Kaphan added. The idea is also being considered by the US antitrust enforcers.

Admitting that Amazon is a ruthless competitor, Shel Kapahan said that the company “can do a lot of things which might not be good for people who aren’t their customers” under the flag of customer obsession. Shel Kaphan was giving an interview to PBS Frontline on a special on ‘Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos’. Former chief technology officer at e-commerce behemoth, Shel Kaphan also said that he feels responsible for that. “I built a substantial part of the early system that allowed them to come into existence, so I feel responsibility because of that,” he said. He left Amazon in 1999.

In India, concerns have been voiced by traders’ body CAIT over the rise of e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart. In fact, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had also initiated a probe against Amazon upon receiving complaints of predatory pricing, deep discounting and preferential treatment to some sellers. However, the probe was stayed by the Karnataka High Court last week. 

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In fact, on Jeff Bezos’ recent India visit,