DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Cramer’s Stop Trading: Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCramer’s Stop Trading: AmazonCNBC’s Jim Cramer explains why he is keeping an eye on shares of Amazon.com Inc.

Persons: Jim Cramer Organizations: Amazon.com Inc

☆ AI frenzy puts Nvidia briefly ahead of Amazon in market value
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Nvidia briefly surpassed Amazon.com Inc in market capitalization on Monday, as the euphoria around artificial intelligence catapulted the chipmaker to the fourth most valuable U.S. company. At a record high of $734.96, Nvidia was worth $1.82 trillion in market value, compared to $1.81 trillion for retail giant Amazon.com and a few billions away from Google-owner Alphabet's $1.87 trillion, according to LSEG data. The last time Nvidia was more valuable than Amazon was in 2002, when they were each worth under $6 billion. Expectations have run high heading into the report with shares gaining 47% year-to-date, making it the biggest gainer among S&P 500 components. The bet on strong AI demand has supercharged Nvidia shares, making it the best performing stock among the so-called "Magnificent Seven" with a 223% surge over the past 12 months.

Organizations: Nvidia, Inc, Google, Microsoft, Apple Locations: U.S

☆ Amazon terminates iRobot deal, vacuum maker to lay off 31% of staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon.com Inc.'s proposed $1.7 billion deal to buy robot vacuum firm iRobot Corp. was given the all-clear by the UKs antitrust agency. The vacuum maker also announced it would lay off 31% of its employees, around 350 people, and that its chair and CEO Colin Angle would step down effective immediately. The fate of the deal was plunged into uncertainty after The Wall Street Journal reported that the European Union would not offer regulatory approval. The robotic vacuum maker has a market capitalization of under $400 million, following Monday's news and prior reports that the European Union would move to block the deal. In July, iRobot entered into a $200 million financing facility to fund its operations as a stopgap until the deal closed.

Persons: Sophie Park, Colin Angle, iRobot, We're, David Zapolsky, Angle Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, iRobot Corp, Bloomberg, Getty, Street Journal, European Union, Amazon, European Commission Locations: Bedford , Massachusetts

Companies Microsoft Corp FollowOpenai LLC FollowNov 20 (Reuters) - Sam Altman will not return as the CEO of OpenAI and ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear will become the new interim boss, The Information reported on Sunday, citing board director Ilya Sutskever's statement to the company's staff. The report said distraught employees "streamed out" of OpenAI headquarters in San Francisco shortly after the decision was announced internally. [1/2]Sam Altman, CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI and ChatGPT creator speaks during a talk at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel June 5, 2023. The appointment of Shear also means that Murati will not stay as the interim CEO, the report said. If Altman returns to OpenAI, Microsoft (MSFT.O), its biggest backer, is considering taking a role on the board, the Information reported on Sunday, citing two people familiar with the talks.

Persons: Sam Altman, Emmett Shear, Ilya Sutskever's, Altman, Sutskever, OpenAI, Amir Cohen, Rights Altman, Greg Brockman, Mira Murati, Shear, Brockman, Szymon Sidor, Sidor, Urvi Dugar, Stephanie Kelly, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Miyoung Kim, Sam Holmes Organizations: Microsoft, Reuters, Tel Aviv University, REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, Amazon.com Inc, OpenAI, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Tel Aviv, Israel, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Amazon says employees may not get promoted if they ignore return-to-office mandate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is dialing up the pressure on corporate employees who haven't complied with the company's return-to-office mandate. Staffers who don't adhere to the policy, which requires employees to be in the office at least three days a week, may not get promoted, according to posts on Amazon's internal website that were viewed by CNBC. A separate post on Amazon's internal career platform for employees says, "In accordance with Amazon's overall approach to promotions, employees are expected to work from their office 3+ days/week if that is the requirement of their role." "Promotions are one of the many ways we support employees' growth and development, and there are a variety of factors we consider when determining an employee's readiness for the next level," Glasser told CNBC. "Like any company, we expect employees who are being considered for promotion to be in compliance with company guidelines and policies."

Persons: Andy Jassy, haven't, Brad Glasser, Glasser Organizations: Amazon.Com Inc, CNBC, Business, Amazon Locations: Seattle , Washington , U.S

The newspaper's banner logo is seen during the grand opening of the Washington Post newsroom in Washington January 28, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Amazon.com Inc FollowNov 4 (Reuters) - William Lewis, the former Dow Jones chief executive and publisher of The Wall Street Journal has been named chief executive and publisher of The Washington Post, the Post said on Saturday. The Washington Post said that it is projected to end the year taking a $100 million loss. Lewis is set to take on his duties from Jan. 2, 2024, replacing Patty Stonesifer, who became interim chief executive in June. Stonesifer had replaced Fred Ryan, who stepped down in August after a nine-year stint as publisher and CEO.

Persons: Gary Cameron, William Lewis, Dow Jones, Lewis, Jan, Patty Stonesifer, Jeff Bezos, Stonesifer, Fred Ryan, Ryan, Gursimran Kaur, Helen Coster, Daniel Wallis, Michael Perry Organizations: Washington Post, REUTERS, Dow, The Washington Post, Reuters, Post, Thomson Locations: Washington, Bengaluru, New York

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) punished its own sellers to limit Walmart's reach as Walmart got into e-commerce, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Like Amazon, Walmart operates a third-party online marketplace, with merchandise from thousands of independent sellers. This, Amazon realized, could result in sellers passing on those savings to customers, the FTC said. To hamstring Jet.com, Amazon removed some third-party sellers' offers from its Buy Box. Amazon spokesperson Tim Doyle said the FTC "grossly mischaracterizes" the pricing tool and the company stopped using it several years ago.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, it's, Burt Flickinger, Jet.com, Tim Doyle, Siddharth Cavale, Vanessa O'Connell, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Amazon.com Inc, Walmart, Federal Trade Commission, Jet.com, Amazon, FTC, Jet, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, New York

☆ Infosys asks some workers to return to office 10 days a month: source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Dhanya Skariachan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Infosys logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - India's No.2 software-services exporter Infosys Ltd (INFY.NS) has asked some of its employees to work from office 10 days a month, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Narayana Murthy courted controversy by urging young Indians to work 70 hours a week for the development of the country. Larger rival Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS) has already asked workers to return to the office for five days a week. Tech giants Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google have also told workers to work from office for at least a few days every week.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Salil Parekh, N.R, Narayana Murthy, Dhanya Organizations: Infosys, REUTERS, Tata Consultancy Services, Tech, Amazon.com Inc, Google, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada

☆ As the market enters correction territory, don't blame the American consumer
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Amazon.com Inc | ReutersThe initial third-quarter report on gross domestic product showed consumer spending zooming higher by 4% percent a year, after inflation, the best in almost two years. How is this possible with interest rates on everything from credit cards to cars and homes soaring? But they were below expectations at electric-vehicle leader Tesla , which blamed high interest rates, and at Ford . "And as interest rates rise, the proportion of that monthly payment that is interest increases." At American Express , which saw U.S. consumer spending rise 9%, the mild surprise was the company's disclosure that young consumers are adding Amex cards faster than any other group.

Persons: Bill Ackman, CFRA, Sam Stovall, Ryan Marshall, Wells, Jackie Benson, Tesla, Elon Musk, GM, Mary Barra, Paul Jacobson, John Lawler, Musk, Brian Moynihan, Jeremy Barnum, Sachin Mehra, Zers, Guess they're, Stovall, chargeoffs, John Greene, Morgan Stanley, Ravi Shanker, Spirit, Sundaram, Ethan Allen, they've, Marc Bitzer, Arun Sundaram, Amanda Agati, there's Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Coldwell, Ford, General Motors, GM, United Auto Workers, UAW, Cox Automotive, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Financial Services, JetBlue, Whirlpool, Amazon, PNC, Federal, Asset Management Locations: Shakopee , Minnesota, U.S, Covid, PulteGroup, Vermont

☆ Amazon predicts bright holiday season, cloud stabilizing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Facing an array of challenges to its business, Amazon is trying to keep its mantle as the world's biggest cloud provider and online retailer. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission in September sued Amazon for allegedly inflating prices and wielding monopoly power, claims that Amazon has disputed. Microsoft, the second-largest cloud provider by revenue after Amazon, beat Wall Street estimates this week as its customers geared up for AI upgrades. Amazon Web Services brought in revenue of $23.1 billion, compared with analysts' expectations of $23.09 billion. For the current holiday quarter, the company forecast revenue in the range of $160 billion and $167 billion.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Long, Andy Jassy, LSEG, Akash Sriram, Anil D'Silva, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon.com Inc, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Amazon Web Services, Wall, Web Services, Thomson Locations: Bretigny, Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ Over half of employees have no idea how their companies are using AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Deborah Kong | Nbc East Coast Page | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Over half of employees (54%) say they have no idea how their company is using AI, according to a new survey conducted by UKG, a human resources and workforce technology company. That's despite the fact that the majority of C-suite leaders (78%) say that their company is using artificial intelligence today, according to UKG. Employees should be worried: 68% of C-suite respondents said their company has made AI decisions that are not in employees' best interests. In fact, executives that responded to the survey estimated that 56% of their workforce is directly using AI to automate or augment job tasks. Meanwhile, among workers already transparently using AI, 75% say it makes them more efficient, productive, and accurate.

Persons: Al Drago, UKG, Hugo Sarrazin, Dan Schawbel Organizations: Amazon Devices, Amazon.com Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, Workplace Intelligence, UKG Locations: Arlington , Virginia, UKG

[1/2] Small toy shopping cart is seen in front of displayed Amazon logo in this illustration taken, July 30, 2021. In its filing, Amazon said it "prominently and repeatedly" disclosed key terms — including price and automatic renewal — to Prime customers. Amazon also accused the FTC of seeking to punish the company through "undefined concepts" such as "manipulative" website designs. "In a case supposedly about clarity, the FTC's purported standards are unconstitutionally opaque," Amazon said. The FTC's Prime lawsuit said Amazon "under substantial pressure" from the FTC changed its cancellation process in April, before the agency filed its lawsuit.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, John Chun, Biden, Mike Scarcella, David Bario, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon Prime, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Wednesday, U.S, District, FTC, Amazon.com, Thomson Locations: Seattle, Chun's Seattle

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Anthropic FollowAlphabet Inc FollowAmazon.com Inc Follow Show more companiesOct 18 (Reuters) - Music publishers Universal Music (UMG.AS), ABKCO and Concord Publishing sued artificial intelligence company Anthropic in Tennessee federal court on Wednesday, accusing it of misusing an "innumerable" amount of copyrighted song lyrics to train its chatbot Claude. The music publishers' lawsuit appears to be the first case over song lyrics and the first against Anthropic, which has drawn financial backing from Google (GOOGL.O), Amazon (AMZN.O) and former cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried. The lawsuit accused Anthropic of infringing the publishers' copyrights by copying their lyrics without permission as part of the "massive amounts of text" that it scrapes from the internet to train Claude to respond to human prompts. For example, the lawsuit said that Claude will provide relevant lyrics from Don McLean's "American Pie" when asked to write a song about the death of rock pioneer Buddy Holly. The publishers asked the court for money damages and an order to stop the alleged infringement.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Claude, Anthropic, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Matt Oppenheim, Sam Bankman, Don McLean's, Buddy Holly, Blake Brittain, David Bario, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Universal Music, Concord Publishing, Beach, Microsoft, Anthropic, Google, Thomson Locations: ABKCO, Tennessee, rightsholders, Washington

That shift in legal doctrine was profound, shaping how courts have applied antitrust law ever since. Khan’s ideas have challenged the closest thing to a sacred cow in antitrust law. The most ambitious of those never became law, but Khan’s role in the probe, which Cicilline described as “critical,” helped further raise her profile. Amazon and Meta have both pushed for Khan to recuse herself from matters involving the companies, questioning her objectivity. The US Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon.com Inc. in a long-anticipated antitrust case, accusing the e-commerce giant of monopolizing online marketplace services by degrading quality for shoppers and overcharging sellers.

Persons: Lina Khan, Khan, Stephanie Keith, ” Khan, “, Joe Biden, ”, William Kovacic, George W, Bush, Barry Lynn, Lynn, New America Foundation —, Obama, —, ” Lina Khan, Rong Xu, ” Lynn, it’s, ’ ”, Reagan, Robert Hockett, Khan’s, David Cicilline, Lina, ” Cicilline, Cicilline, Justin Tallis, Biden, Trump, Douglas Farrar, Gary Gensler, Tom Williams, Jonathan Kanter, Roe, Wade, Kevin Kiley, Meta, she’s, “ We’ve, they’re, Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan, Al Drago, Kathleen Bradish, Bradish, Christine Wilson, Wilson, Noah Phillips, Gabby Jones, NetChoice, Carl Szabo, “ It’s, ” Szabo, There’s, ” Kovacic Organizations: CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, FTC, Big, Microsoft, Meta, Bloomberg, Getty, Republican, White House, Williams College, New America Foundation, Washington Monthly, Yale Law, Washington Post, Cornell Law School, Big Tech, Rhode, Rhode Island Democratic, Apple, Facebook, Cambridge, Activision, SEC, Financial Services, General Government, Securities and Exchange Commission, Capitol, Justice Department, Epic Games, California Republican, Washington , D.C, American Antitrust Institute, GOP, US Federal Trade Commission, Amazon.com Inc Locations: Big Tech, Robbinsville , New Jersey, Washington, Larchmont , New York, Rhode Island, Washington ,, New York

☆ On Amazon, eBay, and Shopify, AI is the new third-party seller
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Did AI help in the process of convincing you to spend? We do know for sure that getting a leg up on the competition is getting easier for e-commerce platform sellers through the latest AI. Amazon, for example, recently rolled out a generative AI tool to help sellers write more robust and effective product descriptions. Here's what sellers need to know about using AI to sell more effectively. Customers will find more complete product information, as the new technology will help sellers provide richer information with less effort," the company stated.

Persons: Al Drago, Chris Jones, Greg Mercer, Mercer, Sellers Organizations: Amazon Devices, Amazon.com Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, Amazon Prime, New York Times, Meta, Business, Scout Locations: Arlington , Virginia

Companies Cloudflare Inc FollowGoogle Inc FollowAlphabet Inc Follow Show more companiesWASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Internet companies Google, Amazon and Cloudflare say they have weathered the internet's largest-known denial of service attack and are sounding the alarm over a new technique they warn could easily cause widespread disruption. Internet protection company Cloudflare Inc (NET.N) said the attack was "three times larger than any previous attack we've observed." Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) web services division also confirmed being targeted by "a new type of distributed denial of service (DDoS) event." The firms urged companies to update their web servers to ensure that they do not remain vulnerable. None of the three companies said who was responsible for the denial of service attacks, which have historically been difficult to attribute.

Persons: we've, Raphael Satter, Sandra Maler Organizations: Google, Inc, Cloudflare Inc, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON

☆ Amazon UK to spend 170 mln stg on staff pay rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People take part in a rally in support of Amazon workers' on strike, outside the Amazon warehouse, in Coventry, Britain, January 25, 2023. Pay rates will further increase to between 12.30 pounds and 13 pounds an hour from April next year. The increases mean Amazon’s minimum starting pay will have risen by 20% in two years, and 50% since 2018, it said. Amazon UK also said it has started recruiting for more than 15,000 seasonal roles across the UK for the festive period. Last week, supermarket groups Morrisons and Aldi said they were hiring 3,500 and 3,000 extra staff for the Christmas season.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, BoE, James Davey, Kate Holton Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, Amazon, Aldi, Thomson Locations: Coventry, Britain, Bank of England

☆ US labor board says Amazon breached terms of 2021 labor rights settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Security personnel are seen as Amazon workers gather outside Amazon’s LDJ5 sortation center, as employees begin voting to unionize a second warehouse in the Staten Island borough of New York City, U.S. April 25, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Amazon.com Inc FollowSept 29 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) was accused by officials of violating the terms of a U.S. labor board settlement, breaching a 2021 agreement which required the online retailer to let workers unionize. Last year, workers at an Amazon warehouse in New York City voted to form the first union at the company. "We've fully complied with the settlement agreement, which we voluntarily entered into in December 2021. Separately, the Teamsters union on Friday picketed outside two Amazon warehouses in Los Angeles.

Persons: unionize, Brendan McDermid, We've, Samrhitha, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: REUTERS, National Labor Relations, Amazon, Teamsters, Thomson Locations: Staten Island, New York City, U.S, New York, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Traders wary of volatility as JP Morgan fund's big options trade looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Saqib Iqbal Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fund's sheer size means its options reset can rack up a massive surge in trading volume in S&P 500 options and set off related hedging activity that can aggravate market moves. How the fund's rebalancing could end up affecting the whole market has to do with market makers - typically big financial institutions that facilitate trading but seek to remain market-neutral. As things stand, with the S&P 500 trading around the 4,290 level, market makers are short about 40,000 September 29 S&P 500 options at the 4,210 strike. Market makers who have sold these put options must sell stock futures to minimize their own risk, as the market drifts closer to the strike price of the sold options. "As we move lower, market makers need to sell and as we move higher market makers need to buy it back," Murphy said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Morgan, Chris Murphy, Murphy, Brent Kochuba, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Megan Davies, Nick Zieminski Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, JPMorgan Hedged Equity, Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Treasury, Susquehanna Financial Group, Traders, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S

The U.S. consumer agency, which enforces federal antitrust law, and 17 states filed their lawsuit against Amazon in Seattle federal court on Tuesday, asking a U.S. judge to consider an injunction and other penalties to combat alleged unlawful conduct. The FTC's lawsuit is related to but broader than a series of private consumer cases filed in recent years against Amazon that are pending in the same U.S. federal court. The private antitrust cases offer an early window into some of the legal arguments Amazon could be expected to make to challenge the FTC's lawsuit. Generally speaking, U.S. judges are "wary of using antitrust law to punish low-pricing behavior," said antitrust scholar Sean Sullivan of the University of Iowa's law school. Sullivan said it is not always a clear line between "good low pricing" — based on market competition — and "bad low pricing" that helps a company acquire or maintain market power.

Persons: Mike Segar, David Balto, Diane Hazel, Foley, Lardner, Hazel, Tom Cotter, David Zapolsky, Zapolsky, Lina Khan, Ricardo Martinez, Martinez, George W, Bush, Sean Sullivan, Sullivan, Mike Scarcella, Leigh Jones Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Federal Trade, Amazon.com, Amazon, Reuters, FTC, U.S, University of Minnesota Law School, District, University of, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Seattle, Washington, Mt, Rainier

Kevin Hodges, a partner at law firm Williams & Connolly, was the first member of Amazon's defense team identified in a court document in the case. Amazon General Counsel David Zapolsky, a 24-year veteran of the company's legal department, can turn to a stable of top outside law firms that already represent it. Thomas Barnett, co-chair of the firm’s antitrust practice and a former senior Justice Department official, was involved in the effort. A Covington spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on whether the firm is defending Amazon in the FTC antitrust case. Amazon has also turned to U.S. law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison to navigate government scrutiny.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Kevin Hodges, Williams, Connolly, Hodges, John Schmidtlein, David Zapolsky, Lina Khan, Thomas Barnett, Covington, Paul, Weiss, Garrison, Paul Weiss, Andrew Goudsward, Mike Scarcella, David Bario, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Amazon Logistics, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Trade, Amazon.com, Amazon, Williams, U.S . Justice, Microsoft, BP, Big Tech, Alphabet's, Google, FTC, Burling, Department, D.C, Covington, Thomson Locations: Chicago . Illinois, U.S, WASHINGTON, Washington, Mexico, Covington, Rifkind, Wharton

☆ FTC to file antitrust case against Amazon as soon as Tuesday - Politico
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Amazon is seen, November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Amazon.com Inc FollowSept 22 (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will file a long-awaited antitrust lawsuit against Amazon (AMZN.O) in federal court as soon as Tuesday, news site Politico reported on Friday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. One of the final hurdles before the FTC sues Amazon is to get as many states as possible to sign on to the complaint, according to the report. FTC chairperson Lina Khan authored a Yale Law Journal article in 2017, in which she said Amazon's structure and practices posed anticompetitive concerns and has escaped antitrust scrutiny. Reporting by Urvi Dugar and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pascal, Lina Khan, Urvi Dugar, Yuvraj Malik, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Politico, FTC, Reuters, Yale, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Effective Oct. 1, Amazon was planning to impose a new 2% fee on every sale by third-party sellers that ship their products themselves, according to media reports in August. "After careful consideration, we've made the decision not to implement this program fee to ensure seller sentiment related to the fee does not impact program participation," an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters. The reversal in Amazon's plans comes when the company is facing a potential lawsuit from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is expected to file a lawsuit against Amazon later this month after the company did not offer concessions to settle antitrust claims, the Wall Street Journal reported. Amazon has been criticized for allegedly favoring its own products over those from outside sellers on its platform.

Persons: we've, Trump, Deborah Sophia, Pooja Desai Organizations: Amazon, Reuters, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Bloomberg, FTC, Wall Street Journal, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

The move suggests the company is taking a more cautious approach to how much money it can charge online sellers, the Bloomberg report said. Effective Oct. 1, Amazon was planning to impose a new 2% fee on every sale by third-party sellers that ship their products themselves, according to media reports in August. The FTC is expected to file a lawsuit against Amazon later this month after the company did not offer concessions to settle antitrust claims, the Wall Street Journal reported. The FTC began probing the company during the Trump administration, when it also launched investigations into other tech majors. Amazon has been criticized for allegedly favoring its own products over those from outside sellers on its platform.

Persons: Pascal Rossignol, Trump, Deborah Sophia, Pooja Desai Organizations: REUTERS, Bloomberg, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Amazon, Wall Street Journal, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Amazon plays catch-up with Alexa generative AI, shows off new, refreshed hardware
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It will also be able to compose and recite poems, Amazon showed at the company's annual product launch in Arlington, Virginia. At the event, Amazon also introduced refreshed versions of children's Fire tablets, a soundbar for televisions and new search capabilities on the FireTV service to find free content. Among the new devices Amazon announced is the $180 Echo Hub wall-mounted touchscreen for controlling gadgets throughout the home. Amazon also showed off a new feature for its Alexa app that can map out internet-connected devices throughout a user's home for easier control. Additional announcements included updates to the Echo Frames eyeglasses, with Alexa embedded, and refreshed versions of its Blink outdoor security cameras and Eero Wi-Fi extenders.

Persons: Bard, Alexa, longform, Dave Limp, Limp, Eero, Greg Bensinger, Richard Chang Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, Wednesday, Amazon, Reuters, Alexa, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, Seattle

Search resuls for: "Amazon.com Inc"

25 mentions found