Amazon CEO Andy Jassy joins the list of company executives saying there was no real data to support the company’s return-to-office mandate.

Amazon has been pushing its employees to return to the office, even trying to force some to relocate closer to company offices to make in-person work possible. Executives have failed to produce any data to support the RTO mandates, acknowledging they “don’t have data to back it up” and citing “serendipity” as the motivating reason for wanting people in the office.

Jassy is now adding yet more fuel to the fire, doubling down on the fact that there is no real data to support the company’s decision.

“There was no data when we were deciding to pursue AWS, which was quite different from the rest of our businesses at that time, that we were going to be successful. In fact, most people thought it was nuts internally and externally,” Jassy said during an internal meeting, according to Business Insider.

“Those were judgment decisions by our leadership team,” Jassy continued. “And that is what’s happened here. As a leadership team, we’ve decided that we will be better for customers and for our business being in the office.”

Jassy also made it clear that employees unwilling to return to the office will ultimately need to find other work.

“It’s past the time to disagree and commit,” Jassy said. “And if you can’t disagree and commit, I also understand that, but it’s probably not going to work out for you at Amazon because we are going back to the office at least three days a week, and it’s not right for all of our teammates to be in three days a week and for people to refuse to do so.”

Jassy Confirms CEO Bias Against Remote Work

Interestingly, Jassy appears to have unintentionally confirmed reports that RTO mandates are being driven by workaholic CEOS, who tend to be older men who are increasingly out of touch with their employees.

Jassy said he had spoken to “60 to 80 CEOs of other companies over the last 18 months,” with “virtually all of them” preferring in-office work, says Insider.

As further evidence of his disconnect with employees, disgruntled workers took to the company’s internal Slack channel to express their criticism of Jassy’s leadership, or lack thereof.

“The whole answer sounds like he’s defending making decisions without data,” said one employee.

“It isn’t leaning into innovation and bold leadership. It’s following the herd,” another worker said.

Interestingly, Insider reports that the internal meeting where Jassy made his comments was referred to as “Fishbowl.” Given that fishbowls are isolated, self-contained environments that offer limited perspective and have little to nothing in common with the real world, it seems a fitting name for a meeting where Jassy doubles down on RTO mandates.