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Tag: Amazon

  • Amazon’s Ring gave employees “unfettered” access to customer videos, FTC alleges

    Amazon’s Ring gave employees “unfettered” access to customer videos, FTC alleges

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    Amazon’s Ring camera is marketed as a safety device, but a new government lawsuit claims the company gave its employees and contractors “unfettered” access to personal videos and failed to protect customer security, leading to hackers threatening or sexually propositioning Ring owners.

    In one case, a Ring employee “viewed thousands of video recordings belonging to at least 81 unique female users,” according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission. That same worker searched for cameras located in “intimate” spaces, such as “Master Bedroom,” and spied for months, the FTC claims. 

    Amazon settled with the FTC for $5.8 million, according to a separate filing Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. That money will be used for consumer refunds, the FTC said. 

    The agency claims Ring prioritized fast product growth while disregarding consumer privacy and security. Aside from employees’ access to customer videos, Ring allegedly also failed to provide adequate security measures to protect its users from hackers, the FTC alleged.

    The latter issue led to hackers gaining access to Ring customers’ cameras, with some of them using the device’s two-way communication feature to “harass, threaten and insult individuals,” the lawsuit claims. Those cases involved hackers swearing at women, hurling racist insults at children and sexually propositioning an 87-year-old woman in an assisted living facility, the FTC said.

    “Ring’s disregard for privacy and security exposed consumers to spying and harassment,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

    In a statement to CBS News, Amazon said its Ring division “promptly addressed these issues on its own years ago, well before the FTC began its inquiry.” 

    “While we disagree with the FTC’s allegations and deny violating the law, this settlement resolves this matter so we can focus on innovating on behalf of our customers,” the ecommerce company said. 

    Spying on “pretty girls”

    Some of the allegations outlined by the lawsuit occurred prior to Amazon’s acquisition of Ring in 2018. For instance, the alleged incident with the employee who viewed videos belonging to 81 women occurred in 2017. 

    His actions were discovered by a female co-worker, who reported him to her supervisor, according to the FTC’s complaint. The supervisor initially discounted her report, saying it was “normal” for an engineer to look at many accounts, but later the supervisor noticed the male engineer was only looking at videos of “pretty girls,” the FTC alleges. 

    “Only at that point did Ring review a portion of the employee’s activity and, ultimately, terminate his employment,” the lawsuit claims.

    Other privacy issues were also “disturbing,” the FTC said in a blog post. For instance, a male worker in January 2018 used a female co-worker’s email address to look up her videos, then watched her stored video recordings without her permission, the agency’s suit claims. 

    Ring discovered such incidents through “the good fortune of employee reporting, despite having given employees zero security training and no responsibility to engage in such reporting,” the lawsuit alleges. “It is highly likely that numerous other incidents of spying, prurient behavior, and other inappropriate access occurred entirely undetected.”

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  • Iraq War vet and two women among Colorado delivery drivers suing Amazon, saying they had to pee in bottles

    Iraq War vet and two women among Colorado delivery drivers suing Amazon, saying they had to pee in bottles

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    Colorado delivery drivers suing Amazon, saying they had to pee in bottles


    Colorado delivery drivers suing Amazon, saying they had to pee in bottles

    00:40

    Three Amazon delivery drivers in Colorado have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the tech giant over what the suit alleges are poor working conditions, CBS Colorado’s Austen Erblat reports.

    The 16-page suit — filed last week in Denver District Court — alleges that drivers had to urinate in bottles and defecate in dog waste bags in their delivery vans to ensure that they didn’t face discipline for failing to stay on pace with their deliveries.

    It goes on to allege Amazon violated Colorado’s mandate that employers provide workers with paid rest breaks every four hours.

    The company, according to the drivers, is “maintaining work policies that require its delivery drivers in Colorado to urinate in bottles in the back of delivery vans, defecate in bags, and, in many cases, to restrain themselves from using the bathroom at risk of serious health consequences. Amazon  operates this scheme through harsh work quotas and elaborate tracking and workplace surveillance technology that make it impossible for Amazon delivery drivers to fulfill basic human needs while on the job.”

    Amazon
    An Associated Press file photo shows an Amazon  delivery van Sept. 1, 2021 in Denver.

    David Zalubowski / AP


    Amazon denied those allegations to several local news outlets, but didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from CBS Colorado.

    The company has faced a number of similar allegations in other states and in the U.K., alleging similar working conditions, both among drivers and warehouse workers, as well as allegations of union-busting. Amazon initially denied those claims, but then apologized for one of the instances of denying them.

    In 2021, the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Protection Bureau ruled that Amazon kept $62 million in tips intended for drivers and ordered the company to pay the tips to drivers.

    The drivers are employed by “Delivery Service Partners,” which contracts with Amazon, but those DSPs, “must acquiesce to Amazon’s control over nearly every aspect of their business. Amazon sets the terms of each DSP’s work through comprehensive non-negotiable contracts,” according to the lawsuit.

    “I fought for this country in Iraq, but I had an easier time going to the bathroom in a combat zone than I did while working for Amazon, Ryan Schilling, one of the three drivers suing Amazon, said in a statement. “Twice I’ve had to defecate so badly that I’ve had to use dog waste bags in the back of delivery vans. I knew that if I tried to stop to go to a gas station, I’d get yelled at and maybe lose my job. What choice do Amazon drivers have?”

    “As a woman, I can’t just easily pee in a bottle,” said plaintiff Leah Cross. “When I worked for Amazon, I had to bring a change of clothes in case I peed my pants while trying to hit Amazon’s delivery metrics. I was told I couldn’t even stop to pick up some sanitary products. With this lawsuit, I’m fighting for Amazon to treat humans like humans.”

    The three drivers are represented by the non-profit Towards Justice, the Seattle-based Terrell Marshall Law Group LLC, and non-profit Public Justice. 

    “Workplace health and safety laws protect the right to reasonable bathroom access, but workers have suffered from underenforcement of those protections for decades,” Towards Justice Executive Director David Seligman said in a statement. “It’s a moral abomination that in 2023, people working at one of the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the history of the world have to bring a change of clothes to work in case they pee themselves.”

    The drivers are seeking unpaid wages, penalties and a change in Amazon’s policies and, according to the lawsuit, want Amazon to “allow their drivers the dignity of being able to meet their basic human needs.”

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  • Amazon Was the Rare AI and Cloud Play Left Out of the Nvidia Bump. Here’s Why.

    Amazon Was the Rare AI and Cloud Play Left Out of the Nvidia Bump. Here’s Why.

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    This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com.

    https://www.barrons.com/articles/amazon-misses-rally-8a6e2511

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  • That Sad Zelda Trailer Was Based On A Japanese Amazon Review

    That Sad Zelda Trailer Was Based On A Japanese Amazon Review

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    As reported at the time, the commercial’s creators were inspired by, of all things, an Amazon review left under the game’s predecessor, Breath of the Wild. Written by a Japanese user, it told the tale of a “working adult” who spends his days “plainly wondering why I’m still alive”.

    Rediscover your sense of adventure with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

    I am a working adult, so-called businessmen. I’m jostled by the commuter rush, bowing down to customers and bosses, being forced to train junior staff and doing many things, and I end up working overtime every day. Even the mountain I see on my way to work, which I don’t even know the name of, irritates me. When I get back home I’m dizzy and have no energy to eat food, so I just drink alcohol and sleep. If I have time to play games I should be going to seminars or looking for a marriage partner, which makes me more impatient than I should be. I spend my days plainly wondering why I’m still alive.

    I went to buy alcohol because I ran out and saw the Switch on sale in the shops. Then I remembered the day. When I was a child and really into Mario 64, my friend said, “lame to play Mario nowadays! Now it’s the era of PlayStation!” and I felt embarrassed. At the time, I didn’t want my friend to dislike me, so I also remember that I replied, “Yeah, you’re right. Mario is already old-fashioned!”

    The beauty of FF7 at that time and the shock of being able to listen to the CD on TV… the recent kids may not understand these feelings. That’s how attractive and innovative it was for kids back then.

    I’m still not sure why I picked up the Switch at the time. I just held a beer in one hand and bought the console and Zelda, thinking I could sell it if it was boring.

    Yesterday, my work day, I looked out of the train window at a mountain I didn’t even know the name of and thought, “Looks like I can climb that.” At that moment, I burst into tears and couldn’t stop. The businessmen of the same age who were beside me must have thought, “What the hell is this guy.”

    I would recommend it to all my fellow businessmen who are pressed for time and scrambling day after day to maintain the status quo, even if everyone hates you. Don’t say it’s just a game. We were born during the golden age of video games. Have you ever seen your family move their entire body when Mario jumps? Do you remember playing Mario Kart or Smash Bros with your friends bringing their own controllers? Have you ever discussed Chrono Trigger or FF7 strategies with your friends? Now I know. When I was a brat, my parents bought me expensive consoles and software for my birthday, Christmas and something. My parents, who were always nagging me, managed to raise money from their living budget to buy expensive games for me.

    I’m touched to belatedly realise many things that I didn’t realise due to the busyness of living my own life. I should have been more filial.

    The 5-stars reviews are all good ones, so there’s nothing for me to talk about now. This Zelda gives me the “challenge and reward” I forgot about. I can freely explore the world without maps, it’s an exciting adventure experience. People my age are sick every day to overcome tomorrow. But don’t despair of your life. The adventure I wanted was in such a place.

    P. S. I feel like thanking this Zelda and I would like to apologise to the Mario 64 development team and Nintendo. I’d like to apologise for the lies I told that day, saying that Mario 64 was old-fashioned, even though I loved it. I am sincerely looking forward to Mario Odyssey being released this winter.

    Postscript, 7 May: after 180 hours of play, I got all “recovered memory” and saw the ending. More than anything, I’d like to thank all the people who read my awful, long, cluttered and embarrassing review written emotionally. I’d also like to thank all the people who gave it a “helpful” rating, not only for reading it. I’ve never been appreciated by so many people even in my job. I really enjoyed my 180 hours spent running around Hyrule. I’d like to thank not only Nintendo but also all the Zelda fans who have continued to support Zelda. Thank you for a great adventure.

    For all the similarities between this man’s tale and the commercial, the part where he apologises for abandoning Mario in the face of a PlayStation advertising campaign—I did something similar with Sonic 3 when my friends were playing WipeOut—hit hard.

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    Luke Plunkett

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  • Docuseries aims to expose “the truth” of reality TV’s Duggar family and the “radical organization behind them”

    Docuseries aims to expose “the truth” of reality TV’s Duggar family and the “radical organization behind them”

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    The Duggars rose to fame when TLC began documenting their lives on the reality TV show “17 Kids and Counting” in 2008, showing how the devoutly Christian Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar balance religion with raising their many children. Now, Amazon Prime is preparing a docuseries committed to “exposing the truth” behind it all.  

    The trailer for the Prime Video limited docuseries, released on May 18, starts with a simple line, “World domination was the goal.” It then goes into a mix of soundbites from various people – including one of the Duggar children – about IBLP, or the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a religious organization founded and until 2014, run by Bill Gothard, that teaches a “biblical authority” with God in the highest position, followed by husband, then wife, who is to “submit to the leadership of her husband … created perfectly to meet his needs.” 

    The religious group has been shrouded in controversy, with further strict teachings that sought to prevent the influence of pop culture and prioritize committing to a life that aimed to please God. Gothard’s role came to an end upon his resignation in 2014 after dozens of women accused him of sexual harassment. 

    “[Gothard’s] teachings, in a nutshell, are based on fear and superstition and leave you in place where you feel like, ‘I don’t know what God expects of me,’” Jinger Duggar Vuolo told People earlier this year. “The fear kept me crippled with anxiety. I was terrified of the outside world. … There are a lot of cult-like tendencies.” 

    Further controversy surrounded the Duggar family when it was revealed that their son Josh Duggar had allegedly molested five girls. Charges were not brought against him as the statute of limitations had passed by the time those reports went public, but in 2021, he was found guilty in a separate case of having downloaded child pornography, some of which showed the sexual abuse of children who were younger than 12 years old.

    Vuolo’s sister, Jill Duggar, makes an appearance in the Amazon docuseries, saying in a trailer clip that “there’s a story that’s going to be told and I’d rather be the one telling it.” 

    “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets,” which premieres on June 2 on Prime Video, promises to unveil the “real story” of what happened behind the scenes of the family’s life on reality TV. 

    “As details of the family and their scandals unfold, we realize they’re part of an insidious, much-larger threat already in motion, with democracy itself in peril,” the description for the trailer says.

    Li Cohen


    li.jpg

    Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.

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  • This Random Drugstore Buy is the Secret Ingredient to Every Cool-Girl Outfit Now

    This Random Drugstore Buy is the Secret Ingredient to Every Cool-Girl Outfit Now

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    Just when you thought you’d seen every late ’90s, early ’00s trend comeback known to man, the fashion crowd reaches into the depths of the archives and dusts off yet another nostalgic gem. Since we’re once again living in the era of low-rise jeans, platform heels, and shield sunglasses, it should come as no surprise that we’re seeing another accessory from the same style era bubble up again. Before you freak out, though, I think you’ll come to find this next comeback to be much more wearable and, dare I say, chic. The trend I’m talking about are those wide stretchy headbands many of us haven’t touched since our elementary school days. Sure enough, the random drugstore hair accessory is back.

    Suddenly, we’re spotting the stretchy headband trend everywhere. From the Schiaparelli FW23 runway where they were paired with large sculptural earrings to the off-duty outfits of celebs like Bella Hadid, Laura Harrier, and Nicola Peltz Beckham, it’s truly the accessory everyone is wearing right now and unlike the most things this set has in their wardrobe, this trend couldn’t be any cheaper—or easier to acquire. Walking into your closest drugstore is sure to yield a selection of similar styles—or better yet, ordering this $5 pack from Amazon. The risk is low, but the potential style payoff is extremely high.

    Ahead, see where the random ’90s trend is popping up from the runways to celebrities to our social-media feeds and once you’ve gleaned enough inspiration, stock up with our picks.

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    Anna LaPlaca

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  • These Are the 29 Most Expensive-Looking Dresses on Amazon

    These Are the 29 Most Expensive-Looking Dresses on Amazon

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    In my circle of friends, I’m the one everyone goes to when they’re looking to buy new clothes. It’s almost at the point where I am offended if my friend purchases something without asking me. Leading up to the summer, my most frequently asked question is, “Where can I get cool summer dresses that won’t break the bank?” I mean, who doesn’t want an endless collection of summer dresses to wear all season long? I’ve made multiple suggestions to my friends from my favorite retailers, but inflation has hiked the prices of even the most notoriously affordable sites. This has led me to begin pointing my friends to Amazon.

    Ah, Amazon. The land of endless scrolling. It can be hard to find things on the retailer’s site that are actually worth buying. Lucky for you, I’ve done all the digging. The 29 finds below look double their price and are worth wearing on repeat. Happy shopping.

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    Sierra Mayhew

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  • ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ starts streaming tonight, and you can pre-order it now

    ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ starts streaming tonight, and you can pre-order it now

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    Universal Studios


    Amazon is releasing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie on its digital format starting at midnight EDT and 9 p.m. PDT on May 15. Our favorite Italian plumber, Mario from Nintendo’s beloved Super Mario video games, has helped “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” surpass over a billion dollars and dominate the box office. If you haven’t seen the video game movie in theaters yet, no worries — it’s still there. 

    But if you pre-order the film now, you should know that the preordered digital copies will release tonight on Amazon. Here’s how to get access to the top-grossing movie of 2023 so far.

    Pre-order “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and watch it tonight:

    Starring Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach and Charlie Day as Luigi, the beloved Super Mario Bros. characters come to life on the big screen. Similar to the Super Mario Bros. games, our heroes are on a mission to save the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser. 

    Donkey Kong, Mario Kart racing and other fun gamer Easter eggs show up, but the movie is also fun to watch even if you don’t know the first thing about Nintendo characters. 

    With its colorful and imaginative world-building, catchy music (Black’s Bowser sings a memorable piano ballad about Princess Peach) and a cast of unforgettable characters, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is sure to be a blast for fans of all ages. So go ahead and pre-order the animated family-friendly movie today and get ready for an adventure that will transport you to a magical world full of wonder and excitement. Let’s-a go!

    How to watch “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” tonight

    mario-luigi-super-mario-bros-movie-universal-studios.jpg

    Universal Studios


    The best place to preorder “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is at Amazon, especially since the digital version is going to be available at midnight on the East Coast and at 9 p.m. on the West Coast. You can get a hard copy or a digital copy that will stay in your Prime Video library forever. There are so many options on Amazon, too. The digital formats are available in standard definition, high definition or ultra-high definition, while the hard-copy formats are available in Blu-Ray, DVD and 4K. Don’t miss out on all the video game nostalgia from this Nintendo Classic.

    Pre-order a digital copy of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Prime Video, $30

    Pre-order a 4K copy of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Amazon, $30

    Pre-order a Blu-Ray copy of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Amazon, $25

    Pre-order a DVD copy of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Amazon, $20

    Stream “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Peacock

    The date has yet to be released but “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will eventually stream on Peacock. There’s a wealth of content on Peacock, including sports, movies and series. The Premium plan is $5 a month while the Plus plan is $10 a month. If you prefer streaming content, Peacock is one of the best deals out there.

    Watch “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Peacock on its release day, $5 and up

    The best TV deals right now

    Looking to upgrade your viewing experience at home so you can watch the latest shows, Oscar-nominated movies, sports and more? Keep reading to check out the best deals on TVs.

    LG G2 series OLED evo Gallery Edition smart TV

    lg-oled.jpg

    LG via Amazon


    According to the brand, this LG TV designed to compete with Samsung’s “The Frame” features a gallery design that “hugs the wall.” This smart TV is meant to blend in seamlessly with any other wall art you might have. 

    The OLED TV features 4K-upscaling, a Filmmaker Mode to enhance your viewing experience with Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos, plus built-in access to Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV plus, Disney Plus and LG channels.

    An Amazon customer called the TV “the best 4K panel I’ve ever owned.” “The panel actually does look like wall art hanging in my viewing room,” they commented.

    65″ LG G2 series OLED evo Gallery Edition smart TV, $1,997 (regularly $3,000)

    65″ TCL Roku smart TV

    tcl.jpg

    TCL via Walmart


    This top-rated TCL Roku TV is an ultra-affordable option that uses the user-friendly Roku interface.

    “I recently bought this TV last week and I’m really impressed with it amazing picture, great sound and easy set up,” wrote a Walmart customer. “If you want a TV that’s affordable TCL is the way to go. I don’t have anything negative to say about the TV and I would buy TV’s again from this brand in the near future.”

    65″ TCL Roku 4K smart TV, $368

    75″ Amazon Fire TV Omni series 4K smart TV

    cbsnews-amazon-fire-tv.jpg

    Amazon


    This 75-inch Amazon Fire TV offers a 4K UHD display and enhanced color and clarity thanks to Dolby Vision. 

    The TV also supports voice control with Amazon Alexa. Its high-quality picture quality and large size make this TV a solid choice for football fans — plus, it’s hard to find such a big screen at such a low price.

    75″ Amazon Fire TV Omni series 4K smart TV, $800 (reduced from $1,100)

    Related content: 

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  • What shows are affected by the TV writers’ strike?

    What shows are affected by the TV writers’ strike?

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    The first TV and film writers’ strike in 15 years kicked off Tuesday, and it’s expected to bring production in the nation’s entertainment center to a halt. 

    The impact of the strike could be far-reaching, depending on how long it takes for writers and studios to reach a deal. The last Hollywood strike, in 2007-2008, took three months to resolve.

    With the 11,500 members of the Writers’ Guild of America working across film, TV, streaming and fiction podcasts, here’s how the labor stoppage is expected to affect shows.

    What shows are affected?

    The most immediate impact of the strike will be seen in late-night shows, which are written daily to pivot off current events.

    “The Late Show” on CBS, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC, “The Tonight Show” on NBC, “Late Night” on NBC and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” have stopped production and plan to run repeats for the foreseeable future.

    NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” has a slightly longer production timeline but is even more dependent on its writers, the Associated Press notes. The show will not air the last three episodes of its season, starting with the scheduled May 6 show guest-hosted by Pete Davidson.

    Not all late-night shows will go dark. Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” with Greg Gutfeld will continue airing new episodes, Fox said Tuesday. Gutfeld and his writing team are not WGA members, Deadline reported.

    It’s less certain how daytime talk shows would be affected, as they lean more into host chats and interviews. ABC’s “The View” was uninterrupted during the last strike in the 2007-2008 season.


    Writers Guild of America entertainment writers go on strike

    04:43

    How does the strike affect streaming shows and movies?

    The impact on these services is uncertain. Scripted shows — not to mention movies — work on longer timelines than late-night TV, so many viewers may not notice the effects of a strike until long after it’s over.

    “When it comes to scripted dramas or comedies, it would actually be quite a while before a normal viewer would see a difference,” Alex Weprin, media and business writer at the Hollywood Reporter, told CBS News. “There are a lot of episodes that have already been shot that are banked for later use; there are also some scripts that have already been written for some of these shows.”

    The menus on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video will look no different next week, but they could change months down the line, the AP noted. If a strike lasts through the summer, fall schedules for scripted shows and films could be upended.

    With the walkout long anticipated, many studios rushed to finish projects and create a backlog to have enough content for the short term. Netflix has said it could turn to overseas series to fill some of the void during a strike.

    “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve had a lot of content that’s been produced,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month.

    Does the strike affect show production?

    Production on finished screenplays can proceed as planned, but without the benefit of last-minute rewrites. As a result, films currently shooting could see a notable drop in quality.

    However, that’s assuming that crews, whose union recently came very close to striking, are willing to cross WGA picket lines and work. If they aren’t willing to do that, the strike could have ripple effects in Hollywood.

    Contracts for two other major unions, the Directors’ Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA — which represents actors, expire in June. Both negotiations are likely to focus on similar issues around the business model of streaming, the AP reports. The DGA is set to begin negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on May 10.

    With reporting by the Associated Press.

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  • AWS customers optimize cloud spend in Q1 | Bank Automation News

    AWS customers optimize cloud spend in Q1 | Bank Automation News

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    Amazon Web Services customers looked to cost savings within their cloud spending amid economic turbulence in the first quarter. “Our AWS sales and support teams continue to spend much of their time helping customers optimize their AWS spend so that they can better weather this uncertain economy,” Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said Thursday during […]

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    Whitney McDonald

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  • Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Is on a ‘Cost-Cutting’ Spree | Entrepreneur

    Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Is on a ‘Cost-Cutting’ Spree | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Update: Amazon kicked off more of its previously announced layoffs this week.

    “It is a tough day across our organization,” AWS CEO Adam Selipsky wrote to staff, per internal memos published by CNBC. “We are working hard to treat everyone impacted with respect,” he added.

    The company also announced it was ending sales of the Halo fitness wearable.

    The most recent layoffs reportedly affect human resources and other departments, including Amazon Web Services (AWS). This is despite the cloud computing arm “easily” ranking as one of the company’s biggest money-makers, according to Gizmodo.

    Original story below:

    On Monday, Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy told employees the company would lay off around 9,000 more people, per CNBC.

    “I’m writing to share that we intend to eliminate about 9,000 more positions in the next few weeks,” Jassy wrote in a memo that was also posted online.

    “This was a difficult decision, but one that we think is best for the company long term,” he added.

    Related: Amazon to Layoff 18,000 Employees, Largest Cut in Company History: ‘We’ll Be Inventive, Resourceful, and Scrappy’

    Amazon announced in early January it would lay off about 18,000 employees. As Bloomberg noted, the layoffs began in late 2022 but were reported, at first, to only be job cuts of about 10,000 people.

    This additional cut of 9,000 comes amid waves of layoffs at other big tech companies like Google and Meta as they wrestle with changes in consumer habits post-pandemic.

    Related: ‘Make Lists’ of People to Let Go, Meta Tells Directors Ahead of Another Mass Layoff — Here’s When It Will Happen

    Jassy said the company had decided to “be more streamlined in our costs and headcount” because of the “uncertain economy.”

    The CEO also said that this round of layoffs was not included in the January announcement because the teams were still finishing their analyses.

    “The impacted teams are not yet finished making final decisions on precisely which roles will be impacted,” he added.

    The roles being eliminated should be finalized by the end of April. Amazon will provide employees things like “separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support,” the memo said.

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    Gabrielle Bienasz

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  • Amazon killing off its Halo fitness and health tracking devices

    Amazon killing off its Halo fitness and health tracking devices

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    Amazon is scrapping its Halo fitness tracker device, a setback for a company long known for having its finger on the pulse of what consumers desire.

    The e-commerce company said on Wednesday it will stop supporting the devices effective July 31, a move that will also cost some employees their jobs. Amazon in January announced that it would lay off 18,000 employees, and in March moved to shed an additional 9,000 workers.

    Customers who purchased Halo products in the preceding 12 months are entitled to full refunds for their purchases, including subscription fees, Amazon said in a statement on Wednesday.

    Amazon is winding down its fitness and health tracking brand just three years after launching it. At the time, the company billed the products and services as “AI-powered health tools” that could monitor activity and sleep, measure body fat, and provide users with information about their health. 

    But Amazon faced significant competition in the fitness and health tracking segment from companies including Apple, Garmin and Google-owned Fitbit. 

    Amazon Halo Band
    Amazon will no longer sell or support Amazon Halo Band products, shown here. 

    Gado


    In its statement Wednesday, Amazon defended its foray into health tracking tech.”At Amazon, we think big, experiment and invest in new ideas like Amazon Halo in our efforts to delight customers,” the company said.

    The Amazon Halo View and Amazon Halo Band bracelet fitness trackers, along with the the Amazon Halo Rise, a sleep tracking stand, will cease functioning August 1. Users will have the ability to delete or download any data the devices have collected that they wish to keep, according to Amazon.

    Halo is the latest unit to get the ax as Amazon tries to cut costs amid worries about sluggish online sales and a broader economic slowdown. Among other cuts, the company has shuttered its hybrid virtual, in-home care service Amazon Care, the video calling device Amazon Glow and scaled back its Scout delivery program in recent months.

    The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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  • Rent or buy? Here’s how to make that decision in the current real estate market

    Rent or buy? Here’s how to make that decision in the current real estate market

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    Choosing whether to rent or buy has never been a simple decision — and this ever-changing housing market isn’t making it any easier. With surging mortgage rates, record rents and home prices, a potential economic downturn and other lifestyle considerations, there’s so much to factor in.

    “This is an extraordinarily unique market because of the pandemic and because there was such a run on housing so you have home prices very high, you also have rent prices very high,” said Diana Olick, senior climate and real estate correspondent for CNBC.

    By the numbers, renting is often cheaper. On average across the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S., a typical renter pays about 40% less per month than a first-time homeowner, based on asking rents and monthly mortgage payments, according to Realtor.com.

    In December 2022, it was more cost-effective to rent than buy in 45 of those metros, the real estate site found. That’s up from 30 markets the prior year.

    How does that work out in terms of monthly costs? In the top 10 metro regions that favored renting, monthly starter homeownership costs were an average of $1,920 higher than rents.

    But that has not proven to be the case for everyone.

    Leland and Stephanie Jernigan recently purchased their first home in Cleveland for $285,000 — or about $100 per square foot. The family of seven will also have Leland’s mother, who has been fighting breast cancer, moving in with them.

    By their calculations, this move — which expands their space threefold and allowing them to take care of Leland’s mother — will be saving them more than $700 per month.

    ‘You don’t buy a house based on the price of the house’

    “You don’t buy a house based on the price of the house,” Olick said. “You buy it based on the monthly payment that’s going to be principal and interest and insurance and property taxes. If that calculation works for you and it’s not that much of your income, perhaps a third of your income, then it’s probably a good bet for you, especially if you expect to stay in that home for more than 10 years. You will build equity in the home over the long term, and renting a house is really just throwing money out.”

    Mortgage rates dropped slightly in early March, due to the stress on the banking system from the recent bank failures. They are moving up again, although they are currently not as high as they were last fall. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 6.59% as of April — up from 3.3% around the same time in 2021.

    But that hasn’t significantly dampened demand.

    “As the markets kind of bubbled in certain parts of the country and other parts of the country priced out, we’ve seen a lot of investors coming in looking for affordable homes that they can buy and rent,” said Michael Azzam, a real estate agent and founder of The Azzam Group in Cleveland.

    “We’re still seeing relatively high demand” he added. “Prices have still continued to appreciate even with interest rates where they’re at. And so we’re still seeing a pretty active market here.”

    Buying a home is part of the American Dream

    The Jernigans are achieving a big part of the American Dream. Buying a home is a life event that 74% of respondents in a 2022 Bankrate survey ranked as the highest gauge of prosperity — eclipsing even having a career, children or a college degree.

    The purchase is also a full-circle moment for Leland, who grew up in East Cleveland, where his family was on government assistance.

    “I came from a single-mother home who struggled to put food on the table and always wanted better for her children … it was more criminals than there were police … It is not the type of neighborhood that I wanted my children to grow up in,” said Jernigan.

    The new homeowner also has his eye on building a brighter future for more children than just his own. Jernigan plans to purchase homes in his old neighborhood, renovate them and create a safe space for those growing up like he did.

    “I’m here because someone saw me and saw the potential in me and gave me advice that helped me. … and I just want to pay it forward to someone else” Jernigan said.

    Watch the video above to learn more.

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  • Lord of the Rings Fanfic Writer Sues Amazon, Tolkien Estate For $250M

    Lord of the Rings Fanfic Writer Sues Amazon, Tolkien Estate For $250M

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    Some guy is currently suing Tolkien and Amazon to the tune of $250 million. That alone takes serious bravery. But what’s notable about this lawsuit is the reason he’s suing: Copyright infringement over his Lord of the Rings fanfic. Specifically, he’s arguing that Amazon lifted elements of his fan-fiction for its own Tolkien adaptation TV series, The Rings of Power.

    This New Series Completes Studio MAPPA’s Dark Trilogy

    Demetrious Polychron wrote a book, a work of fan-fiction set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, called The Fellowship of the King, which he copyrighted in 2017 and which later were published and made available for sale, including on Amazon. According to PC Gamer, Polychron sent a letter to the Tolkien Estate asking for a manuscript review. That’s right: This man asked J.R.R. Tolkien’s grandson Simon to sign off on his fanfic. Unsurprisingly, he did not get a response.

    In September of 2022, the month that Polychron published The Fellowship of the King, Amazon also began airing its extremely expensive Lord of the Rings spin-off series, The Rings of Power.  hundreds of millions of dollars on developing an adaptation called Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Now, Polychron is arguing that the Amazon TV show lifts elements from his novel.

    According to RadarOnline, which has seen documents pertaining to the suit, Polychron alleges that characters and storylines he created for his book “compose as much as one-half of the 8-episode series,” and that in some cases the show “copied exact language” from his book. However, the claims seem spurious. For instance, the lawsuit purportedly points to the fact that both his book and the show feature a hobbit named Elanor, with the Elanor in his book being the daughter of Samwise Gamgee, while the Elanor featured in The Rings of Power is a Harfoot. Images purporting to be the lawsuit circulating online include a host of other circumstantial connections or similarities to back up Polychron’s argument that the writers of Rings of Power lifted ideas from his fanfic for their own story.

    Polychron’s lawsuit for copyright infringement, filed on April 14, names Amazon and the Tolkien Estate as defendants in the U.S. District Court For The Central District of California. Polychron claims that his novel was “inspired” by LOTR, but is an “original” work. Nobody is convinced, not even the reviewers who had kind things to say about it. “While unabashedly derivative, The Fellowship of the King offers LOTR fans a fun, appropriately epic return to Middle-earth,” wrote Edward Sung for IndieReader. Ouch. It doesn’t sound like the book scores any points for originality, even if it’s a fun enough read.

    At the time of writing, it appears that Polychron’s book has been delisted from Amazon. Kotaku reached out to Amazon to ask when it was removed, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

    While no one believes that Polychron will win against the Tolkien Estate, there are concerns that the lawsuit might negatively impact the legality of fanworks in general. Hopefully, fanfic writers will be fine as long as they’re not trying to extort Tolkien’s grandson.

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    Sisi Jiang

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  • 4 Ways to Use Amazon Marketplace to Fuel Business Growth | Entrepreneur

    4 Ways to Use Amazon Marketplace to Fuel Business Growth | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    According to Jungle Scout’s 2023 The State of the Amazon Seller report — an annual study into how Amazon Marketplace sellers are faring — 89% of sellers say they are profitable on the platform. A total of 37% even reported increased profits during 2022, despite all that economic uncertainty and rising inflation.

    Amazon is clearly contributing to many brands’ profitability, and with nearly 40% of U.S. ecommerce market share, according to Statista, it is hard to ignore as a sales and marketing avenue. Today, the question for brands shouldn’t be whether to sell on Amazon Marketplace but how to grow their business on Amazon.

    Related: 7 Things to Consider Before Becoming a Seller on Amazon

    Are there any Amazon Marketplace strategy elements that ensure success?

    Deciding whether to use Amazon’s invite-only Vendor Central platform (known as 1P) or Seller Central platform (known as 3P) is one of the first things for brands to consider.

    3P offers more control and fine-grained reporting, allowing sellers to see the real-time impact of their promotions and strategies. The 3P marketplace provides a more agile response to ever-evolving consumer behavior but also requires more effort and people power. Companies may find they need to staff up to manage all the platform’s nuances.

    There are other considerations, too. As Amazon focuses on profitability, 1P vendors increasingly scrutinize chargebacks and other fees. At the same time, Amazon is severing its 1P relationship with distributors in Europe, encouraging them to sign up for the 3P platform. In 1P, the selling price is controlled by Amazon; 3P vendors control their own pricing (again, more work but more control).

    However, once the fundamental decisions are made, you can start to craft your brand presence on the platform.

    A buttoned-up supply chain is critical. Simply keeping products in stock can be a significant driver of success on Amazon. If sales velocity slows, the search algorithm will penalize you, and it might take some time to regain that momentum unless you’re a household brand.

    Successful sellers also tend to stay mindful of Amazon’s policies and algorithms. Doing business on Amazon Marketplace is a marketer’s game to a certain extent. Amazon’s algorithm prioritizes conversion rate; understanding the nuances of incremental sales is crucial for being able to adapt and reassign resources quickly and do more of the strategies that work.

    Great strategists don’t just send their inventory to Amazon and expect the platform’s market dominance to do the rest of the work. They actively prioritize their Amazon Marketplace strategy.

    Related: Want to Quickly Increase Your Amazon Sales? Here Are 3 Key Tips from an Amazon Consultant.

    How can brands put these Amazon Marketplace strategies into action?

    If brands understand how the platform works, they can start using Amazon Marketplace as a driver of revenue and a way to reach new consumers. Here are a few ways sellers can put strategy elements into action to grow their businesses on Amazon:

    1. Plan for additional inventory

    Amazon Marketplace requires a ready store of inventory to keep users’ expectations fulfilled. Brands need to thoroughly understand their supply chains and plan for the additional inventory they sell through Amazon while balancing enough inventory for their other retail channels. As an Amazon Marketplace seller, you’ll be responsible for making sure you’re stocked up.

    There are many benefits to having good inventory management. Most notably, it’s good for the financial state of your brand. When you have a good handle on your inventory, you’re able to accurately forecast to satisfy consumer demand. You will have sufficient supply, and as a result, your cash flow will improve.

    2. Read the reviews and reports

    Amazon is an excellent source for unbiased reviews. Reading them can help you understand what resonates with the consumer, while follow-up A/B test messaging can show you what converts best. The better you convert, the more you’ll sell and the more the algorithm will prioritize your products. Amazon Marketplace also offers its sellers deep insights into what customers are searching for and buying; use the data available — it’s right there.

    It can be hard to keep up with reviews, but this is when creativity comes in. With the use of AI becoming more normal, businesses must wonder how they can take advantage of it strategically. One way to use it is to have the AI digest your reviews and summarize them into “top five positive and top five negative points.” With this strategy, the content literally writes itself.

    Related: 4 Things to Know About Online Reviews (and Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Them)

    3. Write to your customers

    Despite the common misconception that Amazon isn’t a place to communicate your brand voice, Amazon is an excellent platform for communicating with customers. Great content is a tool to differentiate your pages. Just remember to “Amazon-ify” your writing. Content that works on your direct-to-consumer or social media accounts might not instantly fly on Amazon, but it can with a few tweaks. Write with conversion and algorithms in mind and make sure you’re using your words to brand-build.

    When writing a product description on Amazon, you must optimize it with SEO keywords. Amazon’s goal is to connect the user with the product they need almost immediately, and it accomplishes this with its algorithm. Using the right SEO keywords, you can ensure your product comes up when consumers search.

    4. Think of the whole funnel

    Amazon is becoming more full-funnel in its approach to advertising, so understanding all the touchpoints throughout the consumer journey becomes more important for brands. In fact, 63% of customers head directly to Amazon when searching for a product, according to Jungle Scout’s 2022 Amazon Advertising Report. However, customers can take multiple weeks between entering a category and making a final decision on their purchase. Successful sellers stay tuned to their customers and use early indicators to fuel data-driven decisions about where to invest their budgets.

    Related: How to Increase Your Product Sales on Amazon Today

    If you want to know how to grow your business on Amazon, think first about what has made the Marketplace such an institution. Why does the platform have so much market share? And why are its sellers becoming more profitable despite a tough economic climate? It’s because Amazon Marketplace runs on data and the tenets of digital marketing. By watching closely and using consumer behavior to make choices, Amazon sellers can tweak and hone their strategies without investing mammoth amounts in risky moves.

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    Mark Wieczorek

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  • How companies get inside gig workers’ heads with “algorithmic wage discrimination”

    How companies get inside gig workers’ heads with “algorithmic wage discrimination”

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    The concept of equal pay for equal work is a cornerstone of Americans’ sense of fairness in the workplace. But the rise of artificial intelligence allows some large companies to pay workers different amounts to do the same work, a new research report alleges.

    The study finds that companies like Uber and Amazon, which rely on independent contractors for labor, use artificial intelligence to enact so-called “algorithmic wage discrimination,” similar to consumer price discrimination.

    Retailers and advertisers charge consumers different prices for the same goods, based on how much they believe a person is willing to pay, which sellers glean from details like what web browser someone is using. In a similar vein, companies that use independent contractors collect detailed information on where they live, when and where they work, how much money they aim to make, and the types of jobs they’re most inclined to accept or reject, according to the report’s author, University of California Hastings law professor Veena Dubal.

    From rideshare drivers’ perspectives, basing pay on these metrics leads to unpredictable and variable pay, according to Dubal, who drew on hundreds of interviews with gig workers themselves.

    Some ride-hail drivers said the companies they work for are “gamifying” work, manipulating them and forcing them to gamble just to make a living. 

    “Algorithmic wage discrimination allows firms to personalize and differentiate wages for workers in ways unknown to them, paying them to behave in ways that the firm desires, perhaps [paying] as little as the system determines that they may be willing to accept,” the report reads, in part. 

    Workers have to “guess” their wages

    And while companies have reams of data on workers, they have little to no insight into how their pay is determined.

    “Given the information asymmetry between workers and the firm, companies can calculate the exact wage rates necessary to incentivize desired behaviors, while workers can only guess as to why they make what they do,” the report reads.

    Dubal added that workers can’t count on their jobs for economic stability or security, and called companies’ pay practices “deeply predatory.”

    “It’s like gambling! The house always wins,” said Ben, one rideshare driver Dubal interviewed. 


    Food delivery drivers see low tips after pandemic peak

    08:09

    Another driver for Uber, Domingo, said he had completed 95 of the 96 trips he needed to secure a $100 bonus. Despite being located in a busy part of town, he had to wait 45 minutes to secure his final ride and earn the $100 he’d been counting on to pay for groceries. He believes Uber was baiting him to work longer. 

    “It feels like the algorithm is turned against you. There was a night at the end of one of week, if felt like the algorithm was punishing me. I had 95 out of 96 rides for a $100 bonus… it was ten o’clock at night in a popular area. It took me 45 min in a popular area to get that last ride,” he told Prof. Dubal. “The algorithm was moving past me to get to people who weren’t closer to their bonus. No way to verify that, but that’s what it felt like was happening.” 

    Bringing your boss “inside your head”

    This close workplace monitoring effectively erases a worker’s most powerful bargaining tool: The fact that, typically, only they know what wage or salary they’re willing to accept for a job. 

    That’s what is most scary about the practice, according to Dubal. 

    “A source of power I have is that I know what I am willing to accept, and my employer doesn’t know,” she told CBS MoneyWatch. “These practices remove that, because they can learn what a worker has been willing to accept in a certain context. They are getting inside your head.”

    She said that this kind of insight into how workers think, combined with the availability of other information like credit data, or how much a given worker might owe in rent, could lead to “an extraordinarily controlled economy where the people in control are in the firms and no one else.”

    It could undo decades of social and labor movements advocating for equal pay for equal work, she added. 

    “It’s really scary, and this is how you get retrenchment — a rolling back of worker rights — through a new cultural sense of what’s OK and what’s not OK,” she said.

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  • Amazon CEO pay: Andrew Jassy’s compensation plunges from $212 million to $1.3 million

    Amazon CEO pay: Andrew Jassy’s compensation plunges from $212 million to $1.3 million

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    Layoffs, bank failures weigh on Fed


    Amazon announces another 9,000 layoffs; Fed works to bring down inflation

    04:06

    Amazon.com CEO Andrew Jassy’s 2022 pay plunged to $1.3 million, a sharp drop from his compensation package of $212 million in the prior year.

    The pay cut means that Jassy, who stepped into the role in 2021, earned less than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who now serves as executive chair and earned $1.6 million last year, according to the company’s annual proxy statement filed Thursday.

    Amazon is struggling with losses and a slowdown in sales, with last year’s financial performance representing “one [of] the worst financial years in its history,” according to GlobalData analyst Neil Saunders. Jassy is orchestrating thousands of job cuts to trim costs as shoppers pull back on spending amid high inflation and pinched budgets.

    Jassy’s $1.3 million in compensation includes a salary of $317,500 and benefits such as 401(k) investments and security costs of $981,000, the proxy said. 

    “The [compensation committee] did not grant Mr. Jassy a periodic equity award in 2022, even though the Committee has typically granted periodic restricted stock unit awards to our executive officers in even-numbered years,” the regulatory filing noted. 

    The proxy noted that Jassy’s 2021 compensation package of $212 million included a large stock award, which will vest over 10 years and “is intended to represent most of Mr. Jassy’s compensation for the coming years.”

    However, it noted that because of the plunge in Amazon’s stock price, that stock grant is now worth “less than half of its grant date value as of the end of 2022.” 

    Still, it’s not as if Jassy is about to enter the poorhouse. Jassy owned about 2 million shares of Amazon.com as of February 2023, according to the proxy — stock that is worth about $203 million, based on Friday’s trading price.


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  • Conservatives Explain Why They’re Boycotting Budweiser

    Conservatives Explain Why They’re Boycotting Budweiser

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    “I boycott any company that tramples on the rights of Americans, whether it’s Bud Light, Walmart, Ford, Tesla, Amazon, McDonald’s, Halliburton, Circle K, basically the entire hotel industry, the vast majority of hospitals, and almost everyone who produces, makes, or distributes food.”

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  • Amazon Is Now Charging a Fee to Make Some Returns at UPS | Entrepreneur

    Amazon Is Now Charging a Fee to Make Some Returns at UPS | Entrepreneur

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    Amazon built its business on customer service, believing everything would fall into place if the company made shopping easy and convenient. Case in point: Their return policy allows customers to return millions of items they don’t want free of charge.

    But that return policy is also wildly expensive. In 2021, a record $761 billion of merchandise was returned to retailers, according to the National Retail Federation.

    Now Amazon wants its customers to think twice before sending products back. The e-commerce giant has quietly implemented a new policy, charging customers a $1 fee if they return items to a UPS store instead of a Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, or Kohl’s closer to their address, according to a report in The Information.

    Amazon owns Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh, and Kohl’s partners with the company.

    Amazon is also warning consumers about “frequently returned” items sold on their site. They recently introduced a badge that tells shoppers to check the product details and customer reviews on items with higher return rates in their product category.

    Related: San Francisco Whole Foods Closes To ‘Ensure Safety’ of Employees

    Amazon cutting costs

    The new return fee is the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures implemented by Amazon. Last month, the company announced it would be laying off 9,000 workers, following an earlier round of layoffs last year that saw pink slips handed out to more than 18,000 employees.

    While Amazon’s return fees are surprising, they’re not unprecedented. Other retail chains have recently done away with their free online return policy, including Abercrombie & Fitch (which charges $7), American Eagle, Foot Locker, Urban Outfitters, and Zara.

    If there is any good news to come out of these new return policies, it’s that they have a positive impact on the environment. Returns cause 16 million metric tons of carbon emissions and up to 5.8 billion pounds of landfill waste in the U.S. each year, according to Optoro.

    Less returns mean less waste — even if it may cost you a buck.

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    Jonathan Small

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  • The Best Push-Up Bras, According to Amazon Reviews

    The Best Push-Up Bras, According to Amazon Reviews

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    Finding the perfect fitting bra requires a lot of trial and error—and hence, there’s a significant amount of time spent in the fitting room. But what if you simply don’t find the minutes in the day (or the patience) to test out a handful of undergarments at a store? Then it’s in your best interest to turn to the vast online market, of course. There are so many amazing options on the internet, but there’s one website, specifically, that we’ve consistently uncovered a slew of hidden gems on—from trendy fashion buys to the wallet-friendly basics everyone should have to today’s focus—the absolute best push-up bras—is Amazon. Were you at all surprised? We weren’t either.

    Now we combed through pages upon pages of push-up bras to find only the best of the best. But how did we determine their ranking? From customer ratings and reviews, of course, all of which spoke to the piece’s fit, comfort, and overall “push-upness.” From one style that fit “perfectly” (that’s always the goal, right?) to another that feels very natural (something that can be a bit tricky when dealing with a lot of padding), these are the best push-up bras, period.

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    Eva Thomas

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