But Mr. Carney’s team got a black eye during Amazon’s search for a second headquarters, when in 2018 it underestimated the progressive backlash it would face in potentially building a major presence in New York. Amazon reversed course and chose another location.
Mr. Carney’s team also faced criticism after an official Amazon Twitter account dismissed a congressman’s concern last year that workers had to urinate in bottles while on the job. The company apologized.
More recently, Mr. Carney’s team has mounted a vigorous response to the antitrust legislation, which Amazon has said would make it difficult to offer its signature fast shipping of its Prime subscription service. The company spent roughly $9.1 million on federal lobbying in 2015. Last year, it spent $19.3 million.
Drew Herdener, who heads public relations under Mr. Carney, was promoted to senior vice president on Thursday, according to four people with knowledge of the internal announcement. The communications team has grown from 10 people to “several hundred,” Mr. Herdener said in an interview last fall, adding that Amazon had hired 200 communications professionals in the previous year alone.
As the company searches for a new head of global affairs, Mr. Herdener will report directly to Mr. Jassy, and the policy teams will report to David Zapolsky, the general counsel, according to the email.
Airbnb has been looking for its own head of policy and communications after Chris Lehane, a former aide to former President Bill Clinton, left for a cryptocurrency venture capital fund earlier this year.
Erin Griffith contributed reporting.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/22/technology/jay-carney-amazon-airbnb.html
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