New Delhi, June 19 -- Amazon is under fresh scrutiny after several employees accused the company of retaliation following their public testimony against proposed AI data center expansion plans in Seattle. The dispute has intensified debate around workplace speech rights, corporate accountability, and the environmental cost of rapidly scaling artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The controversy centers on three software engineers who spoke at a Seattle City Council hearing in early June 2026. The employees, associated with internal advocacy efforts, argued in favor of limiting large-scale infrastructure growth tied to AI systems. Their testimony comes amid broader concerns about energy consumption, water usage, and regulatory oversight...