The nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that Amazon.com Inc AMZN founder Jeff Bezos made his housekeeper sign shows just how much the billionaire values his privacy.
What To Know: The billionaire and former Amazon CEO made housekeeper Mercedes Wedaa swear to absolute secrecy before she could start cleaning his home, according to a Business Insider report citing court documents.
Wedaa sued Bezos last year, alleging unsanitary working conditions and racial bias. Her complaint reportedly said that Bezos forced his housekeeping staff to climb through windows to access the bathrooms and that he didn't provide a space for staff to take breaks and eat.
An attorney for Bezos reportedly denied the allegations in a statement to Insider at the time. The NDA, however, has become public record.
"Mr. Bezos considers that preserving his privacy is critical to his personal safety, well-being, and business. I understand and agree that safeguarding the privacy of Mr. Bezos and his family members is an essential obligation of my agreement to provide services," the NDA said.
It's not uncommon for celebrities and well-known business leaders to make staffers sign NDAs, but the language in the agreement shows how much Bezos valued his privacy.
The NDA prohibited Wedaa from disclosing the identities of Bezos and his family to anyone or sharing opinions about them based on her experiences.
She was not allowed to share "personal observations, ideas, experiences, images or impressions that refer or pertain in any way to Mr. Bezos or any of his family members, no matter in what form they may be."
If Bezos' former housekeeper were to create content about the billionaire, the NDA gave him the right to buy the content for $10. Bezos also paid Wedaa $250 for just signing the agreement, which the report indicates could have been intended to make the agreement more enforceable.
The NDA isn't the only evidence that Bezos highly values his privacy. Wedaa began working for Bezos in 2019 not long after he purchased a home just outside of Seattle in the wealthy neighborhood of Hunts Point. Several neighbors recently revealed that Bezos regularly kept his gate closed and rarely showed his face.
This illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via MidJourney.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.