This is pretty common for large enterprises. They have an official PR mouth and any public communication regarding the company which doesn't first pass the PR f

This is pretty common for large enterprises. They have an official PR mouth and any public communication regarding the company which doesn't first pass the PR filter is often a fireable offense, even if it's all positive and puts the company in a good light. If Amazon talks about being vocally self-critical, they almost certainly mean in the context of internal improvement, not talking freely to the press. Even if employees try raising issues internally at first, most companies won't take kindly to an employee going public. Please note that I am not defending Amazon, simply saying that this is bog-standard and not surprising.