Of course

Of course!

Of course I am one of those who got harassed and exposed to mobbing at Amazon in Seattle. Of course I reported the harassment to HR and of course I was retaliated against for following Amazon’s internally published code of business ethics. Of course some of my coworkers provided negative fabricated feedback (fake) to my manager. Of course I felt under constant scrutiny and of course I eventually realized that all my moves were secretly being documented. Of course this drove me insane and made me want to punch these jackasses in their faces. But of course I didn’t do anything and just became more and more depressed. Of course I remained focused on delivering outstanding results in my job, which of course is what I was being paid for. But of course none of my leadership dared admitting it. Of course there is much more to the story so much so that I know I was framed.

Of course, I was not going to let my manager fire me, so of course I was forced to resign. Ultimately, of course I am convinced that what happened to me is illegal.

Of course time has passed and I have recovered from that toxic episode in my life. This meant I took a long sabbatical, drastically lowered my spending budget and successfully lived on $0 income for close to a year. Because of course, I was denied unemployment benefits? Of course I have had frustrating conversations with individuals who were oblivious to that systemic reality at Amazon. Of course, it only further reminded me that the problem is a firmly rooted issue within our individualistic Americanized global society driven by consumerism without any values for sustainability.

As I deeply suffered, so much that I decided to completely rebuild my belief system and fundamental values, I eventually grew wiser. Whether I wanted it or not, I was exposed to gaining clarity in the human race that I wish I never did. Benjamin Franklin summarized it really well: “For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise.”

Of course I have met incredibly smart and talented people during my time at Amazon. And I sincerely thank you for sharing your wisdom.

I won't forget, nor forgive. Instead, I will do everything in my capacity to expose the evil leaders of that [illegal] toxic system.