Amazon CEO Says They Won't Censor Movie That Got Kyrie Irving Suspended

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made a surprising revelation Wednesday at the New York Times DealBook/Summit.

Speaking in person during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Jassy covered multiple topics.

But the most important was his defense of free speech in a response to a question about "Hebrews to Negroes."

That documentary was infamously shared recently by NBA player Kyrie Irving, which led to an unpaid suspension.

READ: BROOKLYN NETS SUSPEND KYRIE IRVING, WITH NO PAY

There were numerous other consequences for Irving, including Nike suspending their relationship with the Nets star.

READ: NIKE SUSPENDS RELATIONSHIP WITH KYRIE IRVING AFTER PROMOTION OF ANTI-SEMITIC MOVIE, CANCELS LAUNCH OF NEW KICKS

Jassy meanwhile, said that Amazon believes it's important to "allow access" to differing viewpoints, "even if they are objectionable."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 30: Andrew Ross Sorkin speaks with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy during the New York Times DealBook Summit in the Appel Room at the Jazz At Lincoln Center on November 30, 2022 in New York City. The New York Times held its first in person DealBook Summit since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with speakers from the worlds of financial services, technology, consumer goods, private investment, venture capital, banking, media, public relations, policy, government, and academia. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Amazon Takes Important Stance

There is no excuse for anti-semitism, and supporting anti-semitic content is undoubtedly objectionable.

But censorship is a slippery slope, as we've seen play out numerous times in recent years.

As Jassy rightfully points out, distasteful viewpoints must be allowed. The correct response to bad ideas is using more speech to make strong arguments against them.

Tech companies have all too often erred on the side of censorship. Google, Apple, Meta and Twitter, under its previous owners, have, in recent years, increasingly enforced viewpoint preferences.

As their censorship found increasing support amongst liberal media outlets, definitions of "objectionable" content frequently expanded.

The Hunter Biden laptop story, potential lab leak origins of COVID, and the inarguable failure of masks are just a few examples.

The documentary itself undoubtedly contains extremely bad, offensive ideas. But freedom of speech requires tolerating bad ideas.

Finally, a company as large as Amazon has shown a willingness to defend that principle.