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Tag: Amazon

  • Amazon Is Shutting DPReview.com

    Amazon Is Shutting DPReview.com

    Amazon is shutting down popular camera review site DPReview.com, ending a 25-year run.

    DPReview.com established itself as the destination for in-depth reviews of cameras and various photography equipment. Amazon ultimately acquired the company in 2007, roughly nine years after its launch.

    “Dpreview.com is by far the most authoritative source anywhere for straight talk about new digital cameras,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and then-CEO of Amazon said at the time. “We at Amazon.com have been their fans for a long time, and we extend a big welcome to the dpreview.com team.”

    Unfortunately for photography enthusiasts and professionals, Amazon is now shutting the site down, per an announcement on DPReview.com:

    Dear readers,

    After nearly 25 years of operation, DPReview will be closing in the near future. This difficult decision is part of the annual operating plan review that our parent company shared earlier this year.

    The site will remain active until April 10, and the editorial team is still working on reviews and looking forward to delivering some of our best-ever content.

    Everyone on our staff was a reader and fan of DPReview before working here, and we’re grateful for the communities that formed around the site.

    Thank you for your support over the years, and we hope you’ll join us in the coming weeks as we celebrate this journey.

    Sincerely,

    Scott Everett General Manager – DPReview.com

  • Amazon Laying Off 9,000 More, With AWS Hard-Hit

    Amazon Laying Off 9,000 More, With AWS Hard-Hit

    Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has announced the company plans to lay off an additional 9,000 employees, particularly in AWS, PXT, Advertising, and Twitch.

    Amazon has already laid off 18,000 employees, between reported decisions made in November and an expansion of those plans in January. CEO Andy Jassy has announced that the company plans to expand the scope of its layoffs once more, this time letting an additional 9,000 employees go:

    As we’ve just concluded the second phase of our operating plan (“OP2”) this past week, I’m writing to share that we intend to eliminate about 9,000 more positions in the next few weeks—mostly in AWS, PXT, Advertising, and Twitch. This was a difficult decision, but one that we think is best for the company long term.

    Jassy says a big part of the decision-making process involved looking at what mattered to the company’s customers and how best to meet those needs:

    As our internal businesses evaluated what customers most care about, they made re-prioritization decisions that sometimes led to role reductions, sometimes led to moving people from one initiative to another, and sometimes led to new openings where we don’t have the right skills match from our existing team members.

    It’s interesting that AWS is one of the teams being targeted with this round of layoffs, but Jassy emphasized his faith in the cloud division’s future:

    I remain very optimistic about the future and the myriad of opportunities we have, both in our largest businesses, Stores and AWS, and our newer customer experiences and businesses in which we’re investing.

  • Amazon May Be Working On An AI-Powered Web Browser

    Amazon May Be Working On An AI-Powered Web Browser

    Amazon may be looking to disrupt the web browser market with an AI-powered entry in what could be a major threat to established players.

    Amazon recently sent out a survey to users asking what they value in a web browser. Consumer Reports’ Nicholas De Leon tweeted about the survey:

    Gizmodo got a hold of a copy of the survey, and the questions include asking what features people value and what features would convince them to try a new web browser. AI integration is one of the feature choices.

    While the web browser market is fairly crowded, it’s dominated by Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari. Firefox brings up a distant third, with everything else fighting for scraps.

    Amazon has the brand-name recognition and integration with established services to possibly be the most disruptive entry since Google Chrome.

  • Amazon Faces NYC Lawsuit for Not Disclosing Facial Rec Use

    Amazon Faces NYC Lawsuit for Not Disclosing Facial Rec Use

    Amazon is facing a class-action lawsuit in New York City over not disclosing its use of facial recognition in its Go stores.

    NYC is the only major city in the US that requires businesses to disclose when they are using facial recognition, according to CNBC. Amazon’s Go stores achieve their cashier-less by using a plethora of cameras to link a person’s purchases with their Amazon account.

    The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Alfredo Perez, says Amazon violated NYC’s law by not clearly disclosing the use of facial recognition until just recently, when the company finally put up cameras.

    “To make this ‘Just Walk Out’ technology possible, the Amazon Go stores constantly collect and use customers’ biometric identifier information, including by scanning the palms of some customers to identify them and by applying computer vision, deep learning algorithms, and sensor fusion that measure the shape and size of each customer’s body to identify customers, track where they move in the stores, and determine what they have purchased,” the lawsuit says.

    The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is representing Perez.

    “It means that even a global tech giant can’t ignore local privacy laws,” Albert Cahn, project director, told CNBC in a text message. “As we wait for long overdue federal privacy laws, it shows there is so much local governments can do to protect their residents.”

  • Amazon Employees Can Use Their Stock to Finance Home Purchases

    Amazon Employees Can Use Their Stock to Finance Home Purchases

    Amazon employees are about to enjoy a new perk: being able to use their company stock to finance home purchases.

    According to TechCrunch, Amazon has struck a deal with Better.com to make it easier for employees to purchase a home. Under the terms of the deal, employees in Florida, New York, and Washington State will be able to use their vested equity as down payment collateral. It’s believed the program will expand to other states in time.

    Interestingly, the deal does not require an employee to give up their shares, only to pledge their vested equity. The deal also extends to former employees that still have a stake in Amazon.

    Amazon is “always looking for opportunities” to improve its employee perks “and better support employees’ mental, physical, and financial wellness,” company spokesperson Brad Glasser told TechCrunch.

    “As part of that, we offer a wide-ranging slate of financial benefits, including saving resources, tools to grow financial knowledge, and programs that help employees feel financially sound,” he said. “Eligible employees can access these benefits starting on the first day of their employment with us, regardless of role or location.”

    “Financial wellness, mental wellness, and physical wellness are all essential facets of employee health, and they all affect each other,” Glasser added. “For financial wellness, that means providing benefits that aid with both short- and long-term financial success, for employees’ time at Amazon and beyond.”

  • Amazon Is Taking Half of Sellers’ Revenue

    Amazon Is Taking Half of Sellers’ Revenue

    Many e-commerce companies rely on Amazon for the bulk of their business, but it is a costly proposition with Amazon taking half of their revenue.

    According to research by Marketplace Pulse, Amazon has increased its fulfillment fees and mandatory advertising, increasing the percentage it takes from sellers. This has resulted in an increase in Amazon’s cut from 40% five years ago to 50% today.

    Interestingly, the base transaction fee has remained a steady 15%. Fulfillment fees, however, have grown to 20-35% and advertising can rack up another 15%. What’s more, the advertising is not optional, meaning sellers are going to pay for it whether they want it or not.

    Credit: Marketplace Pulse

    As the research firm highlights, this is leaving many companies making far less than they planned:

    Sellers are combating fee increases by either raising prices, diversifying from FBA, or diversifying from Amazon altogether. However, sometimes it’s only at the end of the tax year that they realize how little net profit they have left. A few sellers showed paying 60% and even 70% of their revenue to Amazon in fees. They still had to pay for inventory, freight, employees, and other expenses.

    To make matters worse, there are not many good options for companies that want to avoid Amazon’s fees. Walmart is cheaper for new sellers, but doesn’t have nearly the reach that Amazon does. Shopify and eBay, while significantly cheaper, also require the seller to handle more of their own logistics.

    With an economic downturn, only time will tell if Amazon is squeezing its sellers too much.

  • Amazon Reports First Unprofitable Year in Almost a Decade

    Amazon Reports First Unprofitable Year in Almost a Decade

    Amazon delivered its quarterly report and it was bad news as the company turned in its first unprofitable year in almost a decade.

    Amazon reported net sales for 2022 of $514.0 billion, an increase of 9% year-over-year. The company’s AWS cloud business came in at $80.1 billion for the year, an increase of 29%.

    Despite the increased sales, the company posted a net loss of $2.7 billion for the year, or $0.27 per share, its first since 2014. While a $2.7 billion loss is bad enough on its own, it’s even worse when compared to the $33.4 billion net income the company posted in 2021.

    Much of the company’s loss can be attributed to its investment in electric vehicle maker Rivian.

    2022 net loss includes a pre-tax valuation loss of $12.7 billion included in non-operating income (expense) from the common stock investment in Rivian Automotive, Inc., compared to a pre-tax valuation gain of $11.8 billion from the investment in 2021.

    “Our relentless focus on providing the broadest selection, exceptional value, and fast delivery drove customer demand in our Stores business during the fourth quarter that exceeded our expectations—and we’re appreciative of all our customers who turned to Amazon this past holiday season,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.

    Jassy also was optimistic about the future, especially given the cost-cutting measures the company has already taken.

    “We’re also encouraged by the continued progress we’re making in reducing our cost to serve in the operations part of our Stores business,” Jassy continued. “In the short term, we face an uncertain economy, but we remain quite optimistic about the long-term opportunities for Amazon. The vast majority of total market segment share in both Global Retail and IT still reside in physical stores and on-premises datacenters; and as this equation steadily flips, we believe our leading customer experiences in these areas along with the results of our continued hard work and invention to improve every day, will lead to significant growth in the coming years. When you also factor in our investments and innovation in several other broad customer experiences (e.g. streaming entertainment, customer-first healthcare, broadband satellite connectivity for more communities globally), there’s additional reason to feel optimistic about what the future holds.”

  • Amazon Wants Employees In-Office Three Days a Week

    Amazon Wants Employees In-Office Three Days a Week

    Amazon has informed employees that they must return to the office three days a week, reversing a previous remote work policy.

    In October 2021, Amazon’s leadership decided to leave it up to individual teams to dictate whether members would need to be in-office or could work remotely. At the time, executives acknowledged that no one-size-fits-all approach would work effectively. The company appears to be reversing course, with CEO Andy Jassy telling employees in an email they must work from the office at least three days a week.

    Jassy highlighted a number of lessons learned over the nearly three years of the pandemic:

    • It’s easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture when we’re in the office together most of the time and surrounded by our colleagues. It’s especially true for new people (and we’ve hired a lot of people in the pandemic); but it’s also true for people of all tenures at Amazon.
    • Collaborating and inventing is easier and more effective when we’re in person. The energy and riffing on one another’s ideas happen more freely.
    • Learning from one another is easier in-person. Being able to walk a few feet to somebody’s space and ask them how to do something or how they’ve handled a particular situation is much easier than Chiming or Slacking them.
    • Teams tend to be better connected to one another when they see each other in person more frequently.

    After discussing in more detail each of the above four factors, Jassy revealed the conclusion these observations led to:

    These are just a few examples, but they’re important ones with respect to our overriding priority to deliver for customers and the business. And ultimately, they’ve led us to conclude that we should go back to being in the office together the majority of the time (at least three days per week). We made this decision at a s-team meeting earlier this week, and for a number of reasons (including the adjustments I know will be required for some of our employees), I wanted to share with you as early as I could even though we haven’t worked out all the execution details yet.

    While acknowledging that there are some roles on both ends of the spectrum that will be exceptions to the rule, Jassy says these “will be a small minority.” For everyone else, these changes will go into effect May 1.

  • Liz Coddington, Former AWS VP of Finance, Joins Peloton As CFO

    Liz Coddington, Former AWS VP of Finance, Joins Peloton As CFO

    Peloton has scored a major win in its recruiting efforts, hiring Liz Coddington to be the company’s new CFO.

    Peloton has been struggling after being the darling of the pandemic bubble. As people sheltered and quarantined at home, the company’s fortunes skyrocketed, only to come crashing back down as things returned to normal. The company clearly hopes Coddington can help get things back on track.

    Coddington formerly served as VP of Finance for Amazon Web Services. She will begin her job at Peloton on June 13. According to a regulatory filing, Coddington’s compensation will include an annual salary of $1 million, as well as $9 million in stock equity. The company will also provide $150,000 for relocation.

    Coddington served as VP at Amazon since January 2021, and worked at the company for a total of six years. Prior to that, she held senior leadership roles at Adara, Walmart, and Netflix.

    “Liz is a deeply talented finance executive and will be an invaluable addition to Peloton’s leadership team,” said Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy. “Having worked at some of the strongest and most recognizable technology brands, she not only brings the expertise needed to run our finance organization, but she has a critical understanding of what it takes to drive growth and operational excellence. I have seen her intellect, abilities, and leadership firsthand and am excited to work closely with her as we execute the next phase of Peloton’s journey.”

  • Amazon Will ‘Go Big’ With Its Grocery Store Ambitions

    Amazon Will ‘Go Big’ With Its Grocery Store Ambitions

    Amazon is eyeing the grocery store market, with plans to “go big” on brick-and-mortar stores.

    Amazon already has some physical grocery stores, but the company is a relatively small player in the market. In an interview with The Financial Times, via Engadget, CEO Andy Jassy made clear his intention to change the status quo.

    “We’re just still in the early stages,” Jassy told FT. “We’re hopeful that in 2023, we have a format that we want to go big on, on the physical side. We have a history of doing a lot of experimentation and doing it quickly. And then, when we find something that we like, doubling down on it, which is what we intend to do.”

    There’s no doubt that Amazon has the ingredients to make a success of physical grocery stores. There are few companies that can match it in product availability and logistics, not to mention the buying power the company would have to negotiate low prices.

    If Amazon is able to deliver on Jassy’s statement, it would also open up another arena of competition between the company and Walmart.

  • FCC Deals Blow to Starlink, Approves Amazon’s Kuiper Satellite Plans

    FCC Deals Blow to Starlink, Approves Amazon’s Kuiper Satellite Plans

    The Federal Communications Commission has dealt a blow to Starlink, approving Amazon’s Kuiper satellite plans.

    Kuiper is the satellite internet constellation Amazon is deploying, in direct competition with SpaceX’s Starlink. SpaceX wanted the FCC to limit the number of satellites Amazon could deploy.

    In an ex parte letter, SpaceX argues that the Commission should limit Kuiper to deploy only 578 satellites in its 630 kilometer orbital shell, and defer action regarding the remainder of the constellation.

    The FCC rejected SpaceX’s demands and accepted Amazon’s proposed “orbital debris mitigation plan,” clearing the way for the company to begin launching its satellites.

    Specifically, we grant Kuiper’s request for approval of its updated orbital debris mitigation plan, thereby satisfying a condition of our action in 2020 conditionally granting Kuiper’s request to deploy and operate its NGSO system. Our action will allow Kuiper to begin deployment of its constellation in order to bring high-speed broadband connectivity to customers around the world.

    In granting this modification, we have considered the issues raised by interested parties in the record. These issues include, but are not limited to, collision risk, post-mission disposal reliability, completion of satellite design, and orbital separation. To address these and other issues, we require Kuiper to comply with a series of conditions, as outlined below. We adopt requirements for Kuiper to report mitigation actions taken to avoid collisions in space and to coordinate and collaborate with NASA to ensure continued availability of launch windows and on other matters.

    It is unclear exactly when Amazon will begin launching satellites, although previous reports indicated it would be sometime in 2023.

  • Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Pivots Away From Bezos’ Number One Priority

    Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Pivots Away From Bezos’ Number One Priority

    Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is already making his mark on the company, including by focusing less on Jeff Bezos’ top priority.

    Jeff Bezos founded and led Amazon from a tiny startup to one of the biggest, most valuable companies in the world. Throughout that journey, his top priority was always the customer. In fact, according to Forbes’ Bill Murphy, Jr., in the 23 shareholder letters Bezos wrote, the word “customer” appears 443 times, more than any other keyword he normally talked about. In contrast, “Amazon” only appears 340 times.

    There’s no doubt that Bezos’ almost obsessive focus on the customer is much of the reason Amazon has been the success it has. Whatever other missteps the company has taken along its journey, whatever other issues it may have, Amazon became the behemoth it is by delivering what the customer wants at a price they want it.

    Interestingly, at the company’s most recent quarterly call, Jassy appeared to be shifting focus away from the customer somewhat. As Murphy writes, Jassy outlined his priorities as follows:

    1. “[P]robably the No. 1 priority that I spen[d] time with the team on is reducing our cost to serve in our operations network …”
    2. “The second thing, priority-wise, I would talk about is just speed. We believe they’re continuing to get products to customers faster, makes customers happier, and they also converted a higher rate when they can see promises of deliveries that are faster …”
    3. “I think pricing being sharp is always important. But particularly in this type of uncertain economy, where customers are very conscious about how much they’re spending … we’ll continue to work really hard on being sharp on pricing … “
    4. “And then just the customer experience improvements that we’re working all the time … we will continue to work very hard on those customer experiences, and we have a lot more planned …”

    Putting aside that Jassy has four priorities — which Murphy argues is broad enough to count as not having any real priorities — Jassy lists the “customer experience” as the fourth and last priority.

    It is true that Jassy mentions ‘making customers happier’ in his second priority, but that’s not the focus of Number Two. The focus is having faster logistics…which will result in the customers being happier.

    While Jassy is clearly concerned with happy customers, it appears he does not have the same focus on that metric as Bezos did. Whether this works for Amazon, or undermines what has made the company great, remains to be seen.

  • FTC May Launch Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon

    FTC May Launch Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon

    The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly preparing an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, the latest in regulators’ efforts to reign in Big Tech.

    Big Tech has been coming under increased scrutiny in recent years, with critics accusing companies of dominating their respective markets and unfairly using their size and influence to do so. FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan has been a vocal critic of Big Tech, and Amazon in particular, making a possible lawsuit against the company unsurprising.

    According to The Wall Street Journal, the FTC is looking at whether Amazon unfairly favors its own products and services, and whether it deals unfairly with third-party sellers. Regulators are also scrutinizing whether Amazon Prime unfairly bundles services to Amazon’s benefit.

    The Journal’s sources say it’s unclear whether the FTC will file a suit, and Amazon’s executives have not yet met with individual FTC commissioners to make their case. At this point, the FTC could decide either way on whether to pursue action.

  • Tomb Raider Series May Be Coming to Amazon

    Tomb Raider Series May Be Coming to Amazon

    Video gamers rejoice! A Tomb Raider TV series is in the works and may be coming to Amazon Prime streaming service.

    Tomb Raider is one of the most popular video game franchises and served as the basis for two movies staring Angelina Jolie as well as a third move staring Alicia Vikander. According to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, of Fleabag fame, is prepping the TV show as part of a larger overall deal with the streaming giant.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter’s sources, while Waller-Bridge is writing the show scripts, she is not slated to star in the series. Waller-Bridge will also be an executive producer for the show.

    No information was provided regarding a possible release date.

  • Amazon Faces First-Ever UK Strike

    Amazon Faces First-Ever UK Strike

    Amazon is facing its first-ever strike in the UK, with hundreds of workers at its Coventry warehouse announcing strike dates.

    While Amazon is notorious for its efforts to combat unionization, unions in other countries are far more common than in the US. Workers at the company’s Coventry warehouse are going on strike over Amazon’s proposed 50 pence an hour raise.

    According to UPI News, Amazon’s employees were asking for a raise that would bring their pay on par with US workers. The UK workers currently are paid $12.90 an hour, but were requesting $18.50 an hour.

    “Amazon workers in Coventry are set to make history on 25 January, becoming the first ever Amazon workers in the UK to go on strike,” said Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organiser.

    “They’ve shown they’re willing to put themselves on the line to fighting for what’s right. But people working for one of the most valuable companies in the world shouldn’t have to threaten strike action just to win a wage they can live on.

    “GMB urges Amazon UK bosses to give workers a proper pay rise and avoid industrial action altogether.”

    The strike began January 25, and will last for 24 hours. The union will extend the strike if Amazon refuses to negotiate.

  • Amazon RxPass Offers Unlimited Prescription Deliveries for $5/mo

    Amazon RxPass Offers Unlimited Prescription Deliveries for $5/mo

    Amazon has rolled out its latest healthcare endeavor, offering Prime members unlimited prescription for $5 a month.

    Amazon has been pushing into the healthcare space, with much of its efforts centered around Prime Pharmacy. The company is doubling down on those efforts with its latest RxPass program, delivering unlimited prescriptions to Prime customers’ doorsteps for a mere $5 a month.

    “Prime members already get fast, free delivery on prescription medications, and RxPass is one more way to save with Amazon Pharmacy. Any customer who pays more than $10 a month for their eligible medications will see their prescription costs drop by 50% or more, plus they save time by skipping a trip to the pharmacy,” said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. “We are excited to offer our customers surprisingly simple, low pricing on the eligible medications they need each month.”

    The company says customers have two different ways to save money, making RxPass an ideal program for individuals that rely on medication to manage ongoing conditions.

    Amazon Pharmacy offers choice and convenience, whether customers are paying with insurance or not. When not using insurance, Prime members now have two innovative, affordable options to pay for prescription medications. Prime members who typically take two or more medications per month to manage chronic or ongoing health conditions could save significant time and money with the $5 a month RxPass subscription. Alternately, Prime members can save with the Prime prescription savings benefit—available for no additional fee—to get discounts up to 80% off generic and 40% off brand name medications at more than 60,000 participating pharmacies nationwide, including Amazon Pharmacy and the PillPack by Amazon Pharmacy service.

    RxPass is certainly one of Amazon’s most aggressive moves into the healthcare space and could help the company carve out a sizable presence, despite early challenges.

  • Amazon Shutters AmazonSmile Charity

    Amazon Shutters AmazonSmile Charity

    Amazon is ending its AmazonSmile charity, saying it plans to focus on “other areas where it can make meaningful change.”

    AmazonSmile debuted in 2013 as a way for customers to support their favorite charities. According to Amazon, however, the charity never reached the level of impact it hoped for. As a result, the company is ending the program, as it outlines in a blog post:

    We are writing to let you know that we plan to wind down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023. We will continue to pursue and invest in other areas where we’ve seen we can make meaningful change—from building affordable housing to providing access to computer science education for students in underserved communities to using our logistics infrastructure and technology to assist broad communities impacted by natural disasters.

    The company plans to make a one-time donation to each charity that has been part of the program, as something of a parting gift.

    To help charities that have been a part of the AmazonSmile program with this transition, we will be providing them with a one-time donation equivalent to three months of what they earned in 2022 through the program, and they will also be able to accrue additional donations until the program officially closes in February. Once AmazonSmile closes, charities will still be able to seek support from Amazon customers by creating their own wish lists.

    In lieu of its AmazonSmile program, Amazon will support a number of other charities, including Housing Equity Fund, Amazon Future Engineer, Community Delivery Program, and Amazon Disaster Relief. The company will also continue to support hundreds of local nonprofits in the cities and communities where its employees live and work.

  • Amazon’s Open Programming Jobs Have Dropped by 32,000+

    Amazon’s Open Programming Jobs Have Dropped by 32,000+

    Amazon’s open programming jobs have dropped to a paltry 299, down from 32,692 in May of 2022.

    Amazon has been freezing hiring over the last couple of months and is laying off some 18,000 employees. As a tech company, Amazon might be expected to still have a plethora of software development jobs open but, as pointed out by a Slashdot reader, that number has dropped by more than 32,000 in the last seven months.

    Amazon’s software development jobs page still touts the exciting career opportunities available with the company…there’s just a lot less of them.

    We’re looking for software engineers who want to invent, build, and sometimes break things to make them easier, faster, better, and more cost-effective. To those who thrive at solving highly complex problems, and who aspire to impact billions of lives on a global scale: come build the future with us.

  • Amazon’s Layoff Plans Grow to 18,000

    Amazon’s Layoff Plans Grow to 18,000

    Amazon layoff plans have grown to nearly twice their original scope, with the company now planning on laying off 18,000 workers.

    Reports surfaced in November that Amazon was planning to lay off as many as 10,000 employees. Like many in the tech industry, the company was looking for ways to weather the economic downturn.

    Fast-forward two months, and CEO Andy Jassy has written a blog post notifying employees of the company’s intention to lay off 18,000 workers, not 10,000. Jassy says recent reviews revealed the need to lay off more individuals than was previously planned.

    “Today, I wanted to share the outcome of these further reviews, which is the difficult decision to eliminate additional roles,” Jassy writes. “Between the reductions we made in November and the ones we’re sharing today, we plan to eliminate just over 18,000 roles. Several teams are impacted; however, the majority of role eliminations are in our Amazon Stores and PXT organizations.”

    Jassy says he initially planned to publicly reveal the increased scope of the layoffs only after the individuals impacted were notified. However, news of the layoffs was leaked, with The Wall Street Journal breaking the story, causing Jassy to publicly acknowledge the plans.

    “We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted,” “However, because one of our teammates leaked this information externally, we decided it was better to share this news earlier so you can hear the details directly from me. We intend on communicating with impacted employees (or where applicable in Europe, with employee representative bodies) starting on January 18.”

    Amazon’s layoffs are sure to raise concerns over the state of the economy, as the company is engaging in mass layoffs during what is normally its businesses season.

  • Amazon Is Shutting Down the Consumer Version of Wickr

    Amazon Is Shutting Down the Consumer Version of Wickr

    Amazon has announced it is shutting down Wickr Me, the consumer version of its ultra-secure messaging app.

    Amazon acquired Wickr in June 2021. Wickr is a messaging app that offers end-to-end encryption and does not require a phone number or other identifying information to register. Its security and privacy make it a popular option among government agencies, such as US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), but also among criminals.

    With mounting criticism over how Wickr is used, Amazon has decided to suspend new signups for Wickr Me and ultimately shut the service down altogether:

    At Wickr, we’ve served a diverse set of customers that range from the boardroom to the battlefield. Since AWS acquired Wickr in 2021, we’ve listened closely to our customers to better understand their requirements for end-to-end encryption. After careful consideration, we will be concentrating Wickr’s focus on securing our business and public sector customers’ data and communications with AWS Wickr and Wickr Enterprise, and have decided to discontinue our consumer product, Wickr Me. As a result, we will not accept user registrations for Wickr Me after December 31, 2022, and will discontinue Wickr Me on December 31, 2023.

  • Amazon’s Next Move Could Be a Sports Streaming App

    Amazon’s Next Move Could Be a Sports Streaming App

    Amazon is considering a sports streaming app as the company continues its focus on its Amazon Prime video service.

    Amazon Prime is one of the leading streaming services in the US, recently passing Netflix for the top spot. According to The Information, CEO Andy Jassy is determined to build on the service’s success and leverage the numerous sports deals the company has already secured.

    According to the report, while no decision has been made, the company sees a standalone sports streaming app as a viable way to expand its presence in the market.

    Amazon has discussed doing a stand-alone app for watching sports content, people briefed on the conversations told The Information. The move comes as CEO Andy Jassy doubles down on the company’s streaming ambitions.

    Interestingly, Jassy views Prime as a key area that could see increased spending, despite the company looking for ways to cut costs:

    Amazon could be thinking about new ways to squeeze revenue out of the billions of dollars in deals it has inked to stream live sports events, which so far it has mostly included in the standard Prime membership. Jassy recently highlighted streaming rights for live sports in particular as a place he’ll likely keep spending even as Amazon steps up its efforts to cut costs in other areas of its business.