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Imagine not getting the job but having your picture used as a stock model for the jobs portion of the company website.
Rawpixel.com from Pexels.
That’s where Jordan Guthmann found himself according to his Tweets about the situation which highlighted that not only did he not get the job but that the interview was years ago which makes the photo’s sudden appearance pretty interesting and funny.
He tweeted, “Years ago I went to Amazon for a job interview that I did NOT get but they were taking photos and the kind person taking photos asked me if she could snap my picture and I was like sure why not anywho that's why I'm on their jobs website today….”
As PetaPixel points out, to Amazon’s credit the company removed the image shortly after Guthmann’s tweet went viral but not before being roundly lampooned for using an unsuccessful job applicant’s picture on the jobs website.
Twitter user @Leggetron commented, “We value inclusivity at Amazon Recruitment, which is why we include unsuccessful candidates in our marketing materials.”
User @BWOneDotCome asked, “they at least offer you free Amazon Prime? Lol.”
Of course, as is natural with stories like this, a lot of photographers and those in the industry wondered whether Guthmann had signed a release giving Amazon permission to use his likeness. None of that really matters as his photo on the jobs website has already been replaced with something else. Still, it’s quite a gaff for a company of Amazon’s stature. As some have commented, it also shows the difference between “marketing” and reality at a company.
You can check out the original tweet by clicking here.
Per usual, we’d love to know your thoughts on this story. Be sure to leave them in the comments below.
Also, don’t forget to check out our other photography news articles on Light Stalking by clicking here.
Kehl is our staff photography news writer since 2017 and has over a decade of experience in online media and publishing and you can get to know him better here and follow him on Insta.
How is it that this is a non-issue because the image was taken down? They used his image, without a release, where he did not authorize it to be and the company made money off that image.
The photo in question shows the applicant outside talking to people on the street. Broadly speaking, in the United States there is a fairly unlimited right to photograph and video in public spaces such as parks and sidewalks. This right does not extend to interior, private spaces such as offices. His interview was likely on Amazon’s campus which, as a private entity, has broad rights with regard to who can be photographed and video’d in public spaces (for example, for surveillance). His photograph being in an outside space on their private property likely grants Amazon full rights to the use of the photograph just like the NFL has broad rights to use video and photography of the crowd at its games. Further, the argument that some monetary gain was made would be difficult as the human resources department is considered a non-performing asset in most corporations – that is, it doesn’t make revenue and would have no internal mechanism for monetizing his photo unless applicants were to have to pay to apply but even then the law favors Amazon’s use.
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3 Comments
How is it that this is a non-issue because the image was taken down? They used his image, without a release, where he did not authorize it to be and the company made money off that image.
The photo in question shows the applicant outside talking to people on the street. Broadly speaking, in the United States there is a fairly unlimited right to photograph and video in public spaces such as parks and sidewalks. This right does not extend to interior, private spaces such as offices. His interview was likely on Amazon’s campus which, as a private entity, has broad rights with regard to who can be photographed and video’d in public spaces (for example, for surveillance). His photograph being in an outside space on their private property likely grants Amazon full rights to the use of the photograph just like the NFL has broad rights to use video and photography of the crowd at its games. Further, the argument that some monetary gain was made would be difficult as the human resources department is considered a non-performing asset in most corporations – that is, it doesn’t make revenue and would have no internal mechanism for monetizing his photo unless applicants were to have to pay to apply but even then the law favors Amazon’s use.
That’s it – Thank you for your comment Lawguy! 🙂