These contractors were paid $18 to $25 per hour and promised 100 per cent of any tips from customers. Starting in 2016, Amazon, then under the rule of billionaire biz baron Jeff Bezos, began pocketing the tips, according to a lawsuit brought by the FTC. Amazon did this secretly by introducing "variable base pay," it was claimed, which involved slashing driver's pay rate and making up for it by adding the tip on top without notifying anyone.