Amazon hit by spiraling boycott after sharing video of executive wearing controversial necklace
An Amazon executive appeared in a company video wearing a pendant in the shape of a map of Israel decorated with the Palestinian flag, prompting some to call for a boycott of the tech giant.
Ruba Borno, vice president of Global Specialists and Partner Organizations for Amazon Web Services, was spotted donning the necklace in a video promoting a business conference in Las Vegas.
Borno, a Palestinian by birth, fled Kuwait with her parents during the first Gulf War in 1990. The family came to the United States, where Borno earned advanced degrees in electrical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Michigan.
Amazon has since removed the video, with a company spokesperson telling DailyMail.com: “The video recording was not intended as a political statement, but we have removed the video and will post a new one in the coming days.”
Ruba Borno, the vice president of Global Specialists and Partner Organizations for Amazon Web Services, wears the necklace in a company video
A similar necklace is for sale on eBay
Amazon added that its leadership “continues to stay in regular contact with our teams in the region to provide our support.”
Since this controversy flared, Borno appears to have deleted her X account.
She has been with Amazon Web Services since November 2021, with previous roles at Experian, Cisco and the Boston Consulting Group.
People on social media shared different opinions on the screen.
‘Terrible. This is unacceptable and warrants immediate termination @JeffBezos,” replied a user on the X account Hamas Atrocities, which reposted the video before removing it.
“Cancel my subscription to prime video,” wrote another.
“What a disgusting woman,” a third added.
One commenter said they would start buying products from Temu, another e-commerce marketplace, instead of Amazon.
Many tagged Amazon’s corporate account or Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who stepped down as CEO in 2021 but remains the executive chairman and largest shareholder.
Jewish insideran outlet for politics and policy in the US and the Middle East, was the first to mark Borno wearing the necklace.
Sasha Troufanov, an employee of Amazon subsidiary Annapurna Labs, was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks
Troufanov, who has been held hostage for over a year, is pictured with his girlfriend
While the video sparked outrage from many commentators, it also attracted some who felt Borno’s chain wasn’t an issue.
“I don’t think this is worth getting angry about,” one person wrote.
“This is such a big reach,” said another.
Jewish Insider pointed out that an employee of Amazon subsidiary Annapurna Labs was kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.
That employee of the Tel Aviv-based company, 28-year-old Sasha Troufanov, has not been released after more than a year of captivity.
Hamas took more than 250 hostages after killing about 1,200 people in the attacks.