Top related persons:
Top related locs:
Top related orgs:

Search resuls for: "GeekWire"


25 mentions found


Instacart, DoorDash, and other apps seem to be trying to roll back Seattle's new gig worker pay law. They say Seattle gig workers are making less and delivering fewer orders after many raised prices. But in the preamble to the survey, Instacart indicated it already had thoughts about how things were going. One poster, who included screenshots of the message, encouraged other Instacart shoppers to turn the pre-written letter to the city council around. Uber Eats and Grubhub have also put out statements saying that things have gotten worse for their gig workers since Seattle's law took effect.
Persons: , Instacart, they've, That's, PayUp, DoorDash, Dashers, Anna Powell, GeekWire, Powell Organizations: Service, Seattle City Council, Business, Instacart, BI, Walmart Locations: Seattle, Seattle's, DoorDash
Amazon is laying off hundreds of employees in its cloud division, emails obtained by BI show. The latest round of job cuts will impact employees in its cloud division, Amazon Web Services, internal emails seen by Business Insider show. "We didn't make these decisions lightly, and we're committed to supporting the employees throughout their transition to new roles in and outside of Amazon. Earlier this year, Amazon also cut hundreds of jobs across its Prime Video and healthcare units. AdvertisementA recently obtained internal HR document from last year showed Amazon placed more employees on performance-improvement plans while carrying out the mass layoffs.
Persons: , Matt Garman, we're, Geekwire, Amazon's Organizations: BI, Amazon, Service, Amazon Web, Business, Global Services
Attendees walk through an expo hall during Amazon Web Services' Reinvent conference at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Nov. 29, 2022. Amazon 's cloud computing division is laying off hundreds of employees in its physical stores technology and sales and marketing units, the company confirmed Wednesday. Amazon's lucrative AWS unit has seen its sales growth decelerate in recent quarters as companies trimmed their cloud spend amid rising interest rates. The cuts to AWS' store technology team come after Amazon said it would remove cashierless checkout systems in its U.S. Fresh stores. The store technology team was moved out of Amazon's retail group and folded into its cloud computing division in 2022.
Persons: We've, we're, GeekWire Organizations: Web Services, Amazon, MGM Studios, Employees Locations: Las Vegas, U.S
Jeff Bezos built Amazon into a tech behemoth and "everything store" that's now worth $1.6 trillion. Jassy, Bezos' longtime deputy, took the company's reins after the Amazon founder stepped down in 2021. "There aren't too many other bigger thinkers than Jeff Bezos," Jassy said, adding: "He always had a way of getting teams to think bigger." Jassy nonetheless touted Bezos' approach for inspiring great work from employees that helped fuel Amazon's success. "[Bezos] had a way of having really high standards, and then having everybody really stretch and aspire to those standards."
Persons: Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, Fortune, Bezos, GeekWire, Jassy, Jeff, You've, it'll Organizations: Economic, Amazon, Pacific Science Center, Web Services Locations: Davos, Switzerland
"2020 and 2021 were excellent, but things started to go downhill in 2022 and now 2023," Juan told Business Insider. AdvertisementSpokespeople for Amazon, DoorDash, and Grubhub confirmed to Business Insider that they put prospective delivery workers on waitlists in certain markets based on demand for deliveries. AdvertisementHere are some of the problems that delivery gig workers faced in 2023, varying from lower pay to greater competition to sudden deactivations. The companies that employ delivery workers oppose the laws. Do you work for Instacart, Walmart Spark, or another gig delivery service and have a story idea to share?
Persons: , Juan, he's, He's, hasn't, they're, Grubhub, Greg F, Greg, Instacart, Alexia Hudson, Daniel Danker, Hudson, Uber, GeekWire, Shipt Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, Instacart, Walmart, Hudson, Bank of America Institute, New, New York Post Locations: Instacart, Southern California, Utah, California, Texas, Charlotte , North Carolina, Seattle, New York City, Juan
For Amazon, AWS is more important than ever. Targets missedAWS is falling short of reaching sales goals in its startups and small-business segments, two employees told BI. Burnout and attritionSeveral AWS employees also pointed to high turnover as a major point of concern. AWS employees told BI it still remains to be seen how all these changes will manifest in the months to come. "The most significant single sentiment we feel is uncertainty," one of the AWS employees told BI.
Persons: Matt Garman, Garman, Mark Shmulik, Bernstein, Rob Munoz, Munoz, Charlie Bell, Rachel Thornton, Chris Vonderhaar, Peter DeSantis, DeSantis, Andy Jassy Mike Blake, AWS's, Prasad Kalyanaraman, Kalyanaraman, Amazon's, Bard, Adam Selipsky, Adam Selipsky Noah Berger, Selipsky, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Jassy, Geekwire Organizations: Amazon Web, AWS, Business, Amazon, SMB, Enterprise, Reuters, Microsoft, Google, BI Locations: Las Vegas, AMZN's, billings
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
Amazon's Alexa business is laying off "several hundred" employees, including those on its recently launched artificial general intelligence team, Business Insider has learned. Rohit Prasad, SVP of the Artificial General Intelligence team, followed up with a separate email, saying his team, which launched in July, would be impacted as well. "While this was a hard decision to make, we remain very optimistic about the future of Alexa," an Amazon spokesperson told BI. The move continues to impact Amazon's Alexa unit, which has suffered from slow growth and low morale in recent years. The move continues to impact Amazon's Alexa unit, which has suffered from slow growth and low morale in recent years.
Persons: Amazon's, Daniel Rausch, it's, Rausch, Rohit Prasad, Prasad, Geekwire, Dave Limp, Alexa, Panos Paney, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Andy Jassy, Eugene Kim Organizations: Alexa, Business, Fire, BI, Artificial General Intelligence, Amazon, Microsoft
Amazon on Friday began laying off "several hundred" people in its Alexa division as part of broader belt-tightening across the company that's been underway since last year, the company confirmed. Amazon didn't specify which Alexa initiatives it's winding down as a result of the move. Amazon previously cut employees in its devices and services division, which includes Alexa. Alexa and digital assistants like it were once ground-breaking technology, but they face increasing competition from generative AI and chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT. In September, Amazon teased updates to Alexa that are tied to generative AI, such as composing messages on behalf of users.
Persons: Daniel Rausch, Rausch, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Amazon, Dave Limp, Limp, Panos Panay Organizations: Alexa, Fire TV, Amazon, Echo Locations: U.S, Canada, India
Amazon stock rallies after blowout quarter
  + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com   time to read: +3 min
Amazon shares rallied 8% on Friday, a day after the company reported blowout second-quarter earnings and issued upbeat guidance. Amazon notched its biggest profit beat since 2020, boosted by CEO Andy Jassy's aggressive cost-cutting efforts. For the third quarter, Amazon said it expects sales of between $138 billion and $143 billion, topping consensus estimates of $138.25 billion, according to Refinitiv. Wall Street cheered the results, lauding the strong results for Amazon Web Services and improving retail margins. Morgan Stanley analysts characterized the shift as the "next retail flywheel" for Amazon.
Persons: Andy Jassy, Andy, Bernstein, Morgan Stanley, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, CFRA Organizations: Amazon.Com Inc, Amazon, Revenue, Analysts, Amazon Web Services, Amazon executives Locations: Seattle , Washington , U.S, Refinitiv, America
Microsoft cut more than 1,000 employees over the past week, insiders say. Microsoft laid off more than 1,000 employees over the past week, primarily in customer service and sales roles, people familiar with the changes told Insider. The cuts go beyond the 10,000 layoffs Microsoft indicated it was planning earlier this year, according to these people. As part of these moves, Microsoft shut its "Digital Sales and Success" group, a sales and customer service team that at one point had thousands of employees. "The focus is more to accelerate consumption than it is to help customers," one person familiar with the changes told Insider.
Persons: Judson Althoff, GeekWire, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Microsoft, Digital, Daily Signals Locations: Washington
Microsoft confirmed Monday that it's eliminating additional jobs, a week after the start of its 2024 fiscal year. The cuts are in addition to the downsizing announced in January that resulted in 10,000 layoffs. The software maker also disclosed a small number of cuts this time last year. GeekWire reported on the latest cuts earlier Monday. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to specify the number of cuts in the latest round.
Persons: GeekWire, Satya Nadella, Morgan Stanley's Keith Weiss Organizations: Microsoft, Google Locations: Washington
The search area for the missing submersible stretches about two times the size of Connecticut on the surface and goes down as deep as two-and-a-half miles, according to Frederick. We need a miracle – but miracles do happen,” oceanographer and water search expert David Gallo told CNN. However, it remains unclear whether the noises are from the missing submersible, Frederick said. David Marquet, a former submarine captain, described Wednesday what he imagines the five passengers are experiencing in the Titan submersible. OceanGate Expeditions strayed from industry norms by declining a voluntary, rigorous safety review of the vessel, according to an industry leader.
Persons: , , Capt, Jamie Frederick, Frederick, John Cabot, “ We’ll, ” Frederick, “ It’s, David Gallo, Frederick said, Rick Murcar, Murcar, Tom Dettweiler, ” Dettweiler, “ You’re, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, David Marquet, John’s, Marquet, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ” Marquet, Joe MacInnis, who’s, Josh Gates, ” Gates, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Gates, couldn’t, David Hiscock, OceanGate, ” Will Kohnen, wouldn’t Organizations: CNN, First Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard, US Navy, US Coast Guard, National Association of Cave, OceanGate Expeditions, Stockton Rush, Navy, Titan, Daylight, Horizon Services, U.S . Air Force, Marine Technology Society Locations: Connecticut, NewfoundlandSaturday
A worker sorts out parcels in the outbound dock at Amazon fulfillment center in Eastvale, California on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. One of Amazon 's top operations executives is leaving the e-retailer, the company confirmed. Melissa Nick, a vice president of North America customer fulfillment, will depart the company June 16, Amazon said. Nick reported to Yonatan Gal, a vice president in charge of overseeing Amazon's fulfillment supply chain, equipment maintenance and repairs, as well as fulfillment execution, in North America, according to internal company documents viewed by CNBC. Chris Vonderhaar, a vice president in charge of Amazon Web Services data centers, is leaving the company, GeekWire reported on Monday.
Persons: Melissa Nick, Amazon, Nick, Barbara Agrait, Melissa, Yonatan, Stefano Perego, John Felton, Amazon's, Andy Jassy's, Andy Jassy, Chris Vonderhaar, GeekWire, Jay Carney, Dave Clark Organizations: North, Amazon, CNBC, Amazon Web, Airbnb, Amazon Logistics Locations: Eastvale , California, North America, Europe
For now, tech companies seem to view both trust and safety and AI ethics as cost centers. That included all but one member of the company's 17-person AI ethics team, according to Rumman Chowdhury, who served as director of Twitter's machine learning ethics, transparency and accountability team. Chowdhury referenced an initiative in July 2021, when Twitter's AI ethics team led what was billed as the industry's first-ever algorithmic bias bounty competition. Still, sources familiar with the matter said that following the layoffs, the company has fewer people working on misinformation issues. watch nowFor those who've gained expertise in AI ethics, trust and safety and related content moderation, the employment picture looks grim.
Through its Bedrock generative AI service, Amazon Web Services will offer access to its own first-party language models called Titan, as well as language models from startups AI21 and Google-backed Anthropic, and a model for turning text into images from startup Stability AI. Generally speaking, large language models are AI programs trained with extensive amounts of data that can compose human-like text in response to prompts that people type in. Amazon is "really concerned about" accuracy and ensuring its Titan models produce high-quality responses, Bratin Saha, an AWS vice president, told CNBC in an interview. Clients will be able to customize Titan models with their own data. He said Amazon wants to ensure Bedrock will be easy to use and cost-effective, thanks to the use of custom AI processors.
Andy Jassy, CEO of Club holding Amazon (AMZN), said Thursday he's committed to investing in overall growth while creating cost efficiencies throughout the enterprise. Jim has said that Amazon needs to cut another 200,000 jobs or more to even approach pre-pandemic staffing of around 798,000 in Q4 of 2019. For example, Amazon has stopped physical store expansion, shuttered Amazon Care and Amazon Fabric, and it's letting go of devices that won't provide solid returns. Jassy also addressed Amazon's stock price during CNBC's interview. AMZN .SPX mountain 2020-04-09 Amazon vs. S & P 500 since April 2020 Bottom line Amazon needs to make additional moves to further reduce its headcount.
Amazon closing some of its cashier-free stores
  + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +2 min
New York CNN —Amazon is permanently closing eight of its 29 Amazon Go convenience stores that offer customers the ability to shop without any kind of checkout process. It hailed the stores as the future of shopping, especially for convenience stores in busy downtowns of major cities. In this case, we’ve decided to close a small number of Amazon Go stores in Seattle, New York City, and San Francisco,” said Amazon in an emailed statement. In addition to the 21 Amazon Go stores that will remain, there are two locations in New York that the brand shares with Starbucks. Amazon has been trying its checkout-free technology at select Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh stores in addition to its Amazon Go locations.
The company will shut two Go stores in New York City, two locations in Seattle, and four stores in San Francisco. The stores will close on April 1, and Amazon said it will work to help affected employees secure other roles at the company. "In this case, we've decided to close a small number of Amazon Go stores in Seattle, New York City, and San Francisco. We remain committed to the Amazon Go format, operate more than 20 Amazon Go stores across the U.S., and will continue to learn which locations and features resonate most with customers as we keep evolving our Amazon Go stores." Amazon executives previously confirmed the company would close some Fresh supermarkets and Go stores following its fourth-quarter earnings results.
Education officials are trying to stop students from using OpenAI's ChatGPT. Seattle Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District put similar limits on the use of the bot in December. Seattle Public Schools also cited cheating concerns for the ban, per GeekWire. A spokesperson told the publication that "Seattle Public Schools does not allow cheating and requires original thought and work from students." In India, Bangalore's RV University banned students from using ChatGPT.
We're barely three weeks into the new year — and tens of thousands of tech employees are already staring down the barrel of unemployment. In today's special edition, we're taking a look at Insider's recent coverage of the brutal wipeout — bringing you inside the chaos at these major firms and the upheaval across the industry. Stay tuned: We'll have more in Monday's regular edition of 10 Things in Tech — if this was forwarded to you, sign up for the newsletter here. Until then, keep up with the tech industry news by downloading Insider's app and signing up for notifications. Jemal Countess / StringerAnd across the industry:
By abandoning the bar raiser for some mostly entry-level positions, Amazon shortened the hiring process and was able to hire more aggressively. In January 2021, for example, a group of bar raisers complained about the small number of bar raisers relative to the total employee base, and the lack of engagement from many of them. Current Bar raisers are overworked and disengagedOthers expressed concerns about overwhelmed or disengaged bar raisers causing a potential drop in talent at Amazon. One person in the 2021 email thread said "Amazon's hiring bar was at stake" if the bar raisers failed to live up to company standards. Amazon's HR chief Beth Galetti said Amazon's hiring bar "keeps getting higher and higher" and that "keeps all of us growing and evolving every day."
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on January 04, 2023 in New York City. Chewing things overU.S. stock markets bounced back a little Wednesday, with the S&P 500 rising 0.75%, the Nasdaq increasing 0.69% and the Dow jumping 133 points. December's jobs report is coming Friday morning, as well, so market watchers still have another big data point to chew over this week. Amazon plans bigger job cutsAmazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during the GeekWire Summit in Seattle on Oct. 5, 2021. David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAmazon plans to lay off more than 18,000 employees, far more than initially expected.
Gem: 100A maker of recruiting software, the startup cut a third of its workforce Nov. 1, The Information reported. HealthCare.com: 149The health insurance marketplace announced the job cuts Aug. 3, Miami Inno reported, citing state regulatory filings. Fabric: 120The robotics startup said July 13 that it was layoffing off 40% of them, TechCrunch reported, citing company confirmation. It affected about 300 people, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported, citing company confirmation. Policygenius: 170The online insurance company cut about 25% of its staff, Axios reported June 6, citing company confirmation.
Many other leaders do the same, the former Amazon leader said. the current Microsoft employee said. For instance, Microsoft gets the whole company together to do activities and donate to causes they like, which Amazon doesn't do, the current Microsoft employee said. Malte Mueller/Getty ImagesDrive for excellence, with burnoutBeyond teaching its own leadership tenets, Amazon isn't big on manager training, one of the current Google employees said. Without proper institutional support, constantly operating at such a high level can lead Amazon employees to burnout, a former Amazon leader who now works at Google said.
Total: 25