Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy deleted chats amid FTC antitrust probe

Between April 2019 and May 2022, Bezos (pic), Jassy and others communicated using the encrypted communications platform Signal, the FTC said Thursday in a court filing, and used a feature so that messages weren’t retained. — AP

Top Amazon.com Inc executives including founder Jeff Bezos and chief executive officer Andy Jassy destroyed text messages discussing business, the Federal Trade Commission alleged, erasing evidence the agency could have used in its antitrust case against the retail giant.

Between April 2019 and May 2022, Bezos, Jassy and others communicated using the encrypted communications platform Signal, the FTC said Thursday in a court filing, and used a feature so that messages weren’t retained. Other executives who communicated via Signal, according to the FTC, include David Zapolsky, Amazon’s top lawyer; Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s retail czar until 2021; and Dave Clark, a longtime logistics executive who left in 2022 after Bezos handed the reins to Jassy.