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☆ The FTC says Jeff Bezos and Amazon execs used Signal to talk business — and it wants to know more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon execs used messaging app Signal to discuss business matters, the Federal Trade Commission said. The agency wants to know if execs told Amazon staff to delete messages, and when to use Signal. AdvertisementAmazon's top executives used the encrypted messaging app Signal to discuss "sensitive business matters," the Federal Trade Commission said in a court filing on Thursday. The founder said, "Are you on signal messaging app? "Amazon also recognizes that sellers believe 'that it has become more difficult over time to be profitable on Amazon,'" the FTC filing stated.

Persons: execs, —, Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, David Zapolsky, Jeff Wilke, Dave Clark, Tim Doyle, Mike Hopkins, Carlo Bertucci, Amazon's, Zapolsky Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Service, FTC, Amazon MGM Studios

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

The FTC's excerpts say the tool - codenamed “Project Nessie” - has been used by Amazon to pinpoint products that will allow it to rake in more cash. The company used it to predict where it can raise prices and have other shopping sites follow suit. Amazon activated the algorithm to raise prices on some products, and when other sites followed its lead, it kept the elevated prices in place, the agency said. The agency said Amazon deployed Project Nessie in 2014 and has turned it on and off at least eight times between 2015 and 2019. In 2018 alone, Amazon used the algorithm to set prices for items that were viewed more than 400 million times by shoppers, according to the complaint.

Persons: Tim Doyle, ” Doyle, Jason Del Ray, Nessie, Doyle, “ Nessie, Jeff Bezos Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Amazon, Wall Street Journal, Nessie

☆ Amazon used an algorithm to secretly prompt rival sites to raise prices, FTC alleges in antitrust lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The FTC says Amazon used a tool to predict where it can raise prices and have rival sites follow suit. The company used it to predict where it can raise prices and have other shopping sites follow suit. Amazon activated the algorithm to raise prices on some products, and when other sites followed its lead, it kept the elevated prices in place, the agency said. The agency said Amazon deployed Project Nessie in 2014 and has turned it on and off at least eight times between 2015 and 2019. In 2018 alone, Amazon used the algorithm to set prices for items that were viewed more than 400 million times by shoppers, according to the complaint.

Persons: —, Tim Doyle, Doyle, Jason Del Ray, Nessie, Jeff Bezos Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, FTC, Service, Wall Street Journal, Nessie

☆ Amazon algorithm juiced prices, cost US consumers $1 billion new FTC lawsuit documents allege
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It has earned Amazon more than $1 billion from US households, newly unredacted portions of the suit allege. Public revelationsThe complaint’s newly unsealed portions, filed Thursday in Seattle federal court, uncover a wide range of previously non-public allegations. More than 70% of Amazon shoppers do not click past the first page of search results, according to the unsealed complaint. In another situation, Amazon allegedly took steps to promote its own, proprietary products — such as the Amazon Kindle tablet — as having been recommended by expert reviewers when the Amazon products had not earned such a recommendation. If the Amazon price went up, the competing retailers would increase their prices as well, according to the complaint.

Persons: Amazon’s, Jeff Bezos, Biden, ”, Tim Doyle, ” Doyle, “, Nessie, David Zapolsky Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, FTC, Amazon Prime Locations: Seattle, Bezos

Amazon flooded its search results with irrelevant "defect" ads at the direction of Founder Jeff Bezos, pumping Amazon profits while steering shoppers to higher-priced goods, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in a newly unredacted portion of its antitrust lawsuit against the company. Amazon began running ads on its site over a decade ago, allowing brands and sellers to bid for higher placement in search results to have their product stand out from competitors. Amazon in 2022 began breaking out advertising revenue in its quarterly earnings reports, revealing just how big the business has become. Last month, Amazon said its ad business brought in more than $12 billion in revenue in the third quarter. "Kantar, an independent data and insights firm, found Amazon's advertising to be the most useful and relevant to customers around the world."

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bezos, David Zapolsky, Tim Doyle Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook Locations: U.S

An Amazon worker moves boxes on Amazon Prime Day in the East Village of New York City, July 11, 2023. The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday updated its complaint against Amazon for its "deceptive" Prime sign-up and cancellation processes, adding three senior executives as defendants. Top Amazon executives overseeing Prime downplayed employee concerns about members of the popular subscription program being enrolled without their consent, the amended complaint alleges. Subscription services revenue, which includes Prime memberships, totaled $9.8 billion in Amazon's most recent quarterly earnings report. Amazon executives and employees met in 2018 about "Project Lucent," where the primary objective was to discuss "how many Prime signups [is] Amazon .

Persons: Russell Grandinetti, Jamil Ghani, Neil Lindsay, Grandinetti, Lindsay, Andy Jassy's, Ghani, Tim Doyle, Doyle, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Zuckerberg Organizations: Amazon, Federal Trade Commission, Top Amazon, Lucent, FTC Locations: East, New York City, Amazon's, Arlington , Virginia

☆ McCarthy, Scalise go to war with U.S. Chamber after group backed some Democrats in 2020 and 2022 elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

McCarthy's refusal to meet with the Chamber is the latest strike in an ongoing feud between some House Republican members and the Chamber of Commerce. Tim Doyle, a spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce, told CNBC in a statement that the group's policies are more in line with House Republicans than Democrats. Representatives for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., did not return requests for comment. McCarthy's ire against the Chamber started after the group endorsed 23 House Democrats in the 2020 election cycle when Republicans failed to regain the majority. The Chamber reportedly endorsed 23 House Republican candidates and four Democrats during the 2022 election fight.

☆ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema pulls in cash from Wall Street, real estate titans as she mulls reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Real estate and private equity leaders, who have long helped to fill Sinema's campaign coffers, contributed to a healthy cash haul for the senator in the final months of last year. At the lunch, Sinema discussed the incoming Congress and how the tight margins in both chambers could create gridlock, according to attendees. Sinema's campaign had already seen more than $2 million from the securities and investment industry since the 2018 election cycle. The Sinema campaign saw dozens of contributions totaling over $145,000 from people who work at Apollo Global Management, another giant private equity firm, since October. Suzanne Clark, CEO of the massive pro-business lobbying group U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also donated $1,000 to Sinema's campaign on Dec. 31, the new FEC filing shows.

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