May 22 (Reuters) - Amazon.com ( AMZN ) investors voted
against all 14 resolutions that asked the retailer to disclose
more about its carbon emissions and its directors' donations,
and to form a committee to oversee artificial-intelligence
development, among other issues.
Amazon ( AMZN ) announced the preliminary vote at its annual
shareholder meeting on Wednesday, where all 12 directors were
voted in for an additional term.
The company had asked shareholders to reject all of the
outside proposals. Additional resolutions sought to have Amazon ( AMZN )
create a committee to address the financial impact of policy
positions and produce reports on lobbying expenditures,
warehouse working conditions and packaging materials.
CEO Andy Jassy appeared to indicate Amazon ( AMZN ) has no plans to
announce a dividend, unlike this year's moves by its rivals Meta
Platforms ( META ) and Alphabet. "We are convinced the
best use of cash for customers and business and shareholders is
investing in businesses in which we're pursuing," he said during
a question-and-answer session.
Amazon ( AMZN ) and Tesla remain the only members of the
so-called Magnificent Seven tech stocks that do not offer
dividends.
Jassy also said that Amazon's ( AMZN ) Alexa voice-assistant service
would receive a "more expansive" generative AI update. "I am
optimistic we'll be a leader here," he said. CNBC reported
earlier on Wednesday that Amazon ( AMZN ) is considering charging
customers a monthly fee for use of Alexa's generative AI
offerings.
Amazon ( AMZN ) will later provide a full tally of the investor vote
in a securities filing.
Shares in the retailer were virtually unchanged on Wednesday
and had gained 22% so far this year.