Working conditions in Amazon's fulfillment centers got blasted by HBO's 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver." As Oliver wrapped up his critique of warehouse work standards, a top executive at Amazon did not hesitate to respond on Twitter.

John Oliver spent 21 minutes of his show on warehouses and workers, including those run by Amazon. He also pointed fingers at retail rival Walmart and a warehouse facility that handles Verizon phones but is not run by the phone company.

Amazon working their warehouse employees to death

Oliver focused on what workers went through to guarantee items were delivered in the fastest fashion by Amazon.

Oliver highlighted past reports of inadequate bathroom breaks, extended shifts, and miles of walking. There was even a recent report that revealed a robot punctured a can of bear spray that made workers sick.

Amazon's Senior Vice President of Operations Dave Clark fired off some tweets in response to the segment. Clark admitted he was a fan of the show, but that Oliver is wrong about Amazon. Clark called the portrayal of Amazon as insulting. Oliver did praise Amazon for raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour and said they're not the worst player in the industry because they don't subcontract out their warehouses.

Amazon continues to work at shipping orders faster and faster

Amazon made the move to shorten its Prime free shipping from two days to one day, which caused Walmart to make a similar move.

Amazon has become an industry trendsetter. Clark's response comes as Amazon increases their role in calling out any dialogue that questions their business practices. Amazon has gone after politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Oliver pointed out the reality that Amazon's convenience comes with a real cost.

Amazon's system for delivering stuff us quickly and cheaper happened by squeezing the people lowest on the ladder. While Oliver took aim at Amazon, his overall focus was on e-commerce and the need for warehouses, a necessity prompted by Amazon's two-day Prime shipping. Bloomberg has reported that the number of workers that lost their job at brick-and-mortar sores since 2000 is the same as the number hired by the booming warehousing industry.

The massive warehouses are often the size of multiple football fields, which take a toll on the employees. Some past workers complained about walking 15 miles per shift and being monitored for speed and meeting quotas. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the injury rate in the warehouse industry is higher than for coal mining, construction, and logging. Oliver notes that Bezos can improve working conditions, but it's unclear whether he actually wants to.
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