After leaving Amazon.com Inc AMZN, a former executive has resigned from the company he subsequently joined as CEO.
Here’s a look back at Dave Clark’s clash with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and the ex-Amazon executive's potential political aspirations.
What Happened: Clark spent 23 years at Amazon, serving as the consumer chief before leaving to serve as the CEO of supply chain management and logistics company Flexport.
Just over a year after joining Flexport, Clark has announced he is resigning from the role.
“Today, Ryan and I discussed his desire to return to focusing on growth in the core freight business. In light of that, I feel he is best suited to lead the company in that direction,” Clark posted on Twitter of Flexport founder and new CEO Ryan Petersen.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Clark is exploring a political career, with sights on the Texas governorship in the 2026 election. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has served as governor of Texas since 2015 and has not announced if he will seek re-election for a fourth term in 2026.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Clark has hired political consultants to explore a potential run for governor of Texas, where the former executive lives.
Clark is said to be a moderate Republican. In the 2022 election, Abbott beat Democrat Beto O’Rourke in his most recent re-election bid.
Related Link: Amazon Delivers Q2 Earnings Gainst To Investors
Why It’s Important: Clark served various roles at Amazon and helped grow the logistics business of the company.
Flexport was founded in 2013 and has raised over $2 billion from investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, MSD Partners and Softbank’s Vision Fund. In February 2022, the logistics company was valued at $8 billion in a new funding round of $935 million.
Prior to joining Flexport, Clark faced controversy during his time at Amazon involving Senator Sanders.
The Vermont Senator has been a proponent of unions over the years, fighting against companies like Amazon that have tried to prevent unions from forming.
With Sanders scheduled for a trip to Birmingham, Alabama to meet with Amazon warehouse workers looking to unionize in 2021, Clark took to Twitter to take on the senator.
“I welcome @SenSanders to Birmingham and appreciate his push for a progressive workplace,” Clark tweeted at the time. “I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that’s not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace for our constituents: a $15 minimum wage, health care from day one, career progression, and a safe and inclusive work environment.”
Clark went on to tell his followers on Twitter that they could go downtown to hear Sanders advocating for a $15-an-hour wage and health care, or they could join Amazon and earn $15 an hour and have good health care.
The tweets from Clark sparked a backlash from many people on Twitter.
A political run by Clark could see him butting heads with members of the Senate and other political figures over his past comments about working wages, working conditions and unions.
Read Next: After DeSantis, Texas Governor Strikes Down Diversity Inclusion In State Public Colleges
Photo: Shutterstock
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
