We Need to Rethink Success: An Ex-Amazon Tech Worker's Climate Justice Journey

Welcome to The Sustainable Artist Podcast!! Looks like the world is on fire and we need to know how we got here to know what we must do to get out. On our first episode we interview Maren Costa. Maren is a workers’ rights advocate, climate justice leader, tech organizer and keynote speaker known for challenging corporate power to drive systemic change. She worked as Amazon’s first Principal User Experience Designer, met regularly with Jeff Bezos, championed human-centered design, and earned 16 patents. Frustrated by Amazon’s inaction on climate, she co-founded Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ), helping secure major wins like Amazon’s Climate Pledge and the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund. Featured in the Emmy Award-Winning Netflix documentary Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy, Maren speaks candidly about her experience in Big Tech mobilizing workers for bold climate action—work she continues today as Board President of AECJ and U.S. Advisor to WorkForClimate.org. A sought-after speaker and lifelong advocate for equity, Maren brings deep insight into the intersections of Big Tech, politics, climate, and inequality. She believes real solutions must confront the roots of injustice—and that organized worker power is essential to achieving radical systems change.