Amazon exec joins Apple in calling for a retraction of Bloombergâs explosive microchip spying report
Amazon and Super Micro have joined Apple in demanding that Bloomberg retract its explosive report on China planting microchips in tech hardware to spy on American companies.
Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook refuted Bloomberg's report from earlier this month that Chinese spies placed microchips inside servers to spy on the US. "There is no truth in their story about Apple," Cook told BuzzFeed.
Now a senior Amazon executive has thrown his lot in with Cook. Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, tweeted on Monday that Bloomberg's story was "wrong about Amazon, too."
"They offered no proof, story kept changing, and showed no interest in our answers unless we could validate their theories," he wrote. "Reporters got played or took liberties. Bloomberg should retract."
Business Insider has contacted Amazon to ask if Jassy's statement is reflective of the company's position.
Furthermore, in a statement obtained by CNBC, Charles Liang CEO of Super Micro â the server company at the heart of Bloomberg's story â also called for Bloomberg to walk back the story.
"Bloomberg should act responsibly and retract its unsupported allegations that malicious hardware components were implanted in our motherboards during the manufacturing process," said Liang.
"Bloomberg has not produced a single affected motherboard, we have seen no malicious hardware components in our products, no government agency has contacted us about malicious hardware components, and no customer has reported finding any malicious hardware components, either," he added.
Business Insider has contacted Bloomberg for comment. Up until now, it has stood by the story, telling Business Insider earlier this month:
"Bloomberg Businessweek's investigation is the result of more than a year of reporting, during which we conducted more than 100 interviews.
"Seventeen individual sources, including government officials and insiders at the companies, confirmed the manipulation of hardware and other elements of the attacks.
"We also published three companies' full statements, as well as a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We stand by our story and are confident in our reporting and sources."
