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Apple, Amazon, other firms pledge to support employees, communities

Shareholders aren't everything, the companies agree.

Laura Hautala Former Senior Writer
Laura wrote about e-commerce and Amazon, and she occasionally covered cool science topics. Previously, she broke down cybersecurity and privacy issues for CNET readers. Laura is based in Tacoma, Washington, and was into sourdough before the pandemic.
Expertise E-commerce, Amazon, earned wage access, online marketplaces, direct to consumer, unions, labor and employment, supply chain, cybersecurity, privacy, stalkerware, hacking. Credentials
  • 2022 Eddie Award for a single article in consumer technology
Laura Hautala
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A worker at Amazon's Fall River, Massachusetts, warehouse. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos signed a document Monday along with dozens more business leaders committing to invest in employees.

Ben Fox Rubin/CNET

Several tech CEOs committed on Monday to invest in their employees and support the communities they operate in. Alongside the leaders of dozens of major businesses, the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, AT&T, IBM and Salesforce signed onto a document that outlined the "purpose of a corporation" and laid out five groups that companies should work to benefit.

The pledge, made public by the Business Roundtable, puts employees and communities on equal footing with customers and shareholders, as well as suppliers.

"Each of our stakeholders is essential," the pledge says. "We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities and our country."

Other tech companies signing onto the document included Accenture, Cisco, Comcast, Dell, Micron Technology, Motorola Solutions, Oracle, SAP and Siemens. The list included companies in more than a dozen other sectors of the economy, including health, finance, travel, food and drink, and retail.

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