Jeff Bezos says Amazon needs be better with employees in final letter as CEO

Jeff Bezos released a letter on Thursday where he conceded Amazon needs "to do a better job" for its workers, though he defended the company's working conditions, which employees have called harsh.

Why it matters: It's Bezos' final shareholder letter as CEO. He's stepping back as the company faces pressure for how it treats employees and its outsized influence that ballooned even more during the pandemic.

• It comes after a failed unionization effort at a distribution center in Alabama, which Amazon intensely opposed.

What he's saying: "Does your Chair take comfort in the outcome of the recent union vote in Bessemer [Alabama]? No, he doesn’t," Bezos wrote, referring to himself.

What's new: Bezos said Amazon Prime has over 200 million subscribers, up from 150 million last January.

Go deeper: Read the letter.