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☆ Amazon to expand drone delivery service after clearing FAA hurdle
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An Amazon delivery drone is on display at Amazon's BOS27 Robotics Innovation Hub in Westborough, Massachusetts, on Nov. 10, 2022. The company said it will expand its delivery area in College Station, Texas, one of the cities where it has been conducting tests. The technology has been a key tool for other drone delivery companies, such as Zipline, looking to operate beyond visual line of sight, or BVLOS. The e-commerce giant's drone delivery service, Prime Air, has struggled since Amazon founder Jeff Bezos laid out his vision for the program more than a decade ago. Last month, Amazon said it would end its drone operations in California and begin deliveries in Phoenix, Arizona, later this year.

Persons: Amazon, Jeff Bezos Organizations: U.S, Amazon, Federal Aviation, College Station ,, Prime Air, Station ,, Prime Locations: Westborough , Massachusetts, College Station, College Station , Texas, Station, Station , Texas, Houston, Sacramento, California, Phoenix , Arizona

☆ Amazon's delivery drone gets the green light to fly beyond a pilot's direct supervision
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The FAA will allow Amazon to fly its drones beyond a pilot's direct line of sight. That means Amazon can now expand its delivery services with its MK-27 drones, the company announced. Amazon's drone delivery program has been delayed in recent years due to field test crashes. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAmazon's package delivery drones are expanding their horizons following a nod of approval from the FAA, the company announced on Thursday.

Persons: — Organizations: FAA, Service, Air, Business

☆ Amazon ends drone program in California, plans to start deliveries in Arizona later this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An Amazon delivery drone is on display at Amazon's BOS27 Robotics Innovation Hub in Westborough, Massachusetts, on Nov. 10, 2022. Amazon is shuttering its drone delivery operations in Lockeford, California, one of the earliest U.S. test sites for the decade-long project. Amazon said in a blog post Monday that it intends to keep expanding drone deliveries to more U.S. cities in 2025, and plans to open up in part of the Phoenix area later this year. The company said it's working with the Federal Aviation Administration and local officials to get permission for drone deliveries in Tolleson, Arizona, west of Phoenix. Amazon has still continued to push ahead with expanding drone deliveries.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, we've, Amazon, it's Organizations: Amazon, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Station ,, Embention Locations: Westborough , Massachusetts, Lockeford , California, U.S, Tolleson , Arizona, Phoenix, Lockeford, Station, Station , Texas, Houston, Sacramento

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he's committed to cost cutting while investing in AI in shareholder letter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +41 min

This work diminished short-term revenue, but was best for customers, much appreciated, and should bode well for customers and AWS longer-term. We're also making progress on many of our newer business investments that have the potential to be important to customers and Amazon long-term. Being intentional about building primitives requires patience. Customers building their own FM must tackle several challenges in getting a model into production. Customers' AI models contain some of their most sensitive data.

Persons: Andy Jassy, Jassy, Jeff Bezos, he's, we've, Martha Stewart, Clinique, we're, We've, bode, We're, I've, iterating, We'd, we'd, Fox, affordably, you've, They're, Anthropic, that's, Claude, Dana, debugs, Slack Organizations: Amazon, Services, AWS, Deal, Prime, MGM, Savings, Regions, Citadel, Target, Storage Service, Netflix, Disney, Max, Paramount, CIA, . Intelligence, Amazon Freight, Carrier, Amazon Shipping, Foods, Drones, Amazon Pharmacy, Amazon Clinic, Robotics, Nvidia, Ricoh, NatWest, FMs, Meta, Bridgewater Associates, Farber Cancer Institute, Delta Air Lines, Intuit, KT, Lonely, LexisNexis, Netsmart, Pfizer, PGA, Rocket Companies, Siemens, Media, Inc Locations: North America, U.S, Europe, India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, Middle East, Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Berlin, Hulu, Amdocs, Genomics England, GoDaddy, GenAI

☆ Amazon delivered a box of cookies by drone to someone 15 minutes and 29 seconds after they ordered
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewAn Amazon drone delivered a box of cookies in about 15 minutes — making it one of the company's fastest deliveries of 2023. "During rainstorms, strong winds, extreme heat events, or other unfavorable weather, drone delivery is not available," the FAQ reads. Amazon plans to expand Prime Air drone deliveries in 2024, adding a new US location as well as hubs in Italy and the UK, Herrington wrote. Amazon delivered orders to Prime members at its "fastest speeds ever globally" in 2023, according to the blog post. AdvertisementHave you received an Amazon delivery by drone and want to talk about the experience?

Persons: —, Doug Herrington, There's, Herrington, Amazon Organizations: Service, Business, College Station ,, Amazon, College, Air Locations: College Station, College Station , Texas, Lockeford , California, Italy

☆ Walmart is betting big on new technology. But can it deliver where others haven’t?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Walmart is joining the AI, drone and tech race. The superstore announced that it is offering drone delivery for up to 75% of the Dallas area’s population, or about 1.8 million homes. But drone delivery as a concept isn’t new, and Walmart’s timeline to take off in Dallas is remarkably short. Normally, customers who need to shop for a Super Bowl party search for items on the Walmart app individually, the company said. Walmart also announced advancements in its InHome service, which it debuted in 2019 to deliver groceries straight into customer’s refrigerators.

Persons: Doug McMillon, Satya Nadella, it’s, ” McMillon, John Locher, Jeff Bezos, Prathibha Rajashekhar, It’s, Walmart’s InHome Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walmart, Consumer, Sam’s Club, CES, Sam’s, Fort, Dallas, Amazon, UPS, Volkswagen, Federal Aviation Administration, CNBC, FAA, Amazon’s, Air, Technology, Microsoft, Apple, Super, Business Locations: New York, Las Vegas, Dallas, Fort Worth Area, Italy

☆ Amazon's drone delivery is kind of a joke so far
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon operates drone delivery in Texas and California. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . According to a New York Times article, Amazon has been operating its drone technology in College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California. Prime Air delivery customers receive a one-time Amazon gift card and can access promotional items. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn an email to Insider, Amazon spokesperson Av Zammit said that Prime Air delivery currently operates in clear weather.

Persons: —, it's, Hamburger, Av Zammit, Zammit Organizations: Amazon, New York Times, Service, College Station ,, Air Locations: Texas, California, College Station, College Station , Texas, Lockeford , California

☆ Amazon to launch drone deliveries in Italy and UK in late 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Amazon is seen at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 15, 2023. The customers in these locations will have the option to have their packages delivered by a drone starting late 2024, Amazon said in a statement. Drone deliveries would be integrated into Amazon's existing fulfillment network and will be deployed from same-day delivery sites, the company added. Amazon's drone based service, called Prime Air, is currently available in two cites in California and Texas, where it launched last year. Reporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Amazon, Jyoti Narayan, Shailesh Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Britain, Italy, United States, California, Texas, Bengaluru

☆ Amazon begins delivering medications by drone in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon Pharmacy customers located in College Station, Texas can now have their prescription medications delivered by drone, the company announced in a blog post Wednesday. Amazon Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy that patients can access online. In order to be eligible for drone delivery, customers in College Station, Texas will have to sign up for Prime Air and complete a yard survey. Amazon has worked on drone delivery for years, and its efforts have been met with mixed success. But despite internal changes at the company, Amazon said it has successfully delivered "hundreds of household items" to consumers in College Station since late last year.

Persons: Amazon, Andy Jassy Organizations: Amazon Pharmacy, Amazon, Prime Air, Station Locations: College Station, Texas, PillPack

Amazon will soon make prescription drugs fall from the sky when the e-commerce giant becomes the latest company to test drone deliveries for medications. The company's Prime Air division began testing drone deliveries of common household items last December in College Station and Lockeford, California. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had predicted a decade ago that drones would be making deliveries by 2018. Walmart has also been working to expand its own drone deliveries. Amazon has been growing its presence in health care for a few years now.

Persons: Jessica Bardoulas, John Love, Vin Gupta, Daniel Duersch, Jeff Bezos, Lisa Ellman Organizations: College Station ,, Prime Air, Amazon, Amazon Pharmacy, CVS, UPS, Intermountain Health, Alliance, FAA, Walmart Locations: College Station, College Station , Texas, College, Lockeford , California, North Carolina, Salt Lake City

☆ Amazon Prime Air loses two key operations leaders, as drone delivery struggles continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An Amazon delivery drone is on display at Amazon's BOS27 Robotics Innovation Hub in Westborough, Massachusetts on November 10, 2022. Jim Mullin, Prime Air's chief pilot, left Amazon last month, according to his LinkedIn profile. Just as Prime Air was set to launch early this year and start delivering packages sent to consumers, CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded Bezos in 2021, embarked on the largest round of layoffs in company history, which included significant job cuts at Prime Air. But problems for Prime Air predated the economic downturn. At the beginning of the year, the company began durability and reliability (D&R) testing, which requires that Prime Air complete several hundred hours of flying without any incidents.

Persons: Jim Mullin, Robert Dreer, Mullin, Jeff Bezos, Obama, Andy Jassy, Bezos, David Carbon's, There's, Nobody, Simone Griffin, Griffin, Zipline Organizations: Amazon, Prime Air, Marine, College Station, CNBC, Federal Aviation Administration, Air, Walmart Locations: Westborough , Massachusetts, Pendleton , Oregon, Oregon , California, Texas, , California, Pendleton

☆ Amazon's 100 drone deliveries puts Prime Air far behind Alphabet's Wing and Walmart partner Zipline
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Wing CEO Adam Woodworth shows the Alphabet company's delivery drone to CNBC's Katie Tarasov on April 25, 2023, in Hollister, California. Walmart said it made more than 6,000 drone deliveries across seven states in 2022 with DroneUp, Zipline and a third partner, Flytrex. Amazon's VP of Prime Air David Carbon showcased the current MK27-2 drone in Westborough, Massachusetts, on Nov. 10, 2022. Prime Air drones, along with most other delivery drones, operate with a number of federal exemptions that greatly restrict where and how they can fly. Prime Air drones are not expected to exceed 58 decibels, according to an FAA assessment, about the noise level of an outdoor air conditioning unit.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAmazon drones make 100th delivery, lagging far behind Alphabet's Wing and Walmart partner ZiplineAmazon says its Prime Air drones recently completed 100 deliveries in two small U.S. markets. Meanwhile, competitors like Alphabet's Wing and Walmart partner Zipline have made hundreds of thousands of deliveries, although most of those have been overseas in Australia and Africa. The U.S. is a tough regulatory environment, with strict rules about flying over roads and people and beyond line of sight. Yet some companies have been granted broader certifications. Here's how Amazon fell behind.

☆ Walmart-backed DroneUp is cutting jobs as drone delivery market struggles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

DroneUp, a Walmart -backed startup competing alongside Amazon and others in the nascent drone delivery market, is cutting jobs across the company, CNBC has learned. DroneUp is one of several startups racing to make drone delivery a reality. UPS , Amazon and Alphabet 's Wing unit are also in various stages of developing their own drone delivery services. Attempts at scaling commercial drone delivery in the U.S. have been slow moving, largely due to technical challenges and a lengthy regulatory approval process with the Federal Aviation Administration. The economic downturn has also proven a setback for some drone delivery operators.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says he's confident he can get costs under control in shareholder letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +38 min

Further, as machine learning adoption has continued to accelerate, customers have yearned for lower-cost GPUs (the chips most commonly used for machine learning). While some areas of the economy have struggled over the past few years, Amazon Business has thrived. Some people have never heard of Amazon Business, but, our business customers love it. For years, Amazon customers had asked us when we'd offer them an online pharmacy as their frustrations mounted with current providers. More recently, a newer form of machine learning, called Generative AI, has burst onto the scene and promises to significantly accelerate machine learning adoption.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says his letter to shareholders follows one of the toughest economic years in recent memory. Read it in full.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +38 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailZipline releases new drone designed for rapid home deliveriesZipline's new delivery drone is designed for rapid, at-home deliveries within a 10 mile radius. The company gained success with its initial model, first used to deliver blood to hospitals and clinics in Rwanda. Now, Zipline is trying to gain a greater foothold in the U.S., delivering food and medicine straight to customer's doorsteps. While companies like DroneUp, Wing, and Amazon Prime Air are also working in this space, Zipline hopes to be the first to scale drone delivery in the U.S.

☆ Amazon's drone business can't get off the ground as regulations, weak demand stymie progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

He even had baseball caps made that said "D&R 2022" with the Prime Air logo on them. CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded Bezos in mid-2021, hasn't talked a lot about Prime Air in public. Prime Air sites in Lockeford, College Station and Pendleton, Oregon, were all hit by the job cuts, further straining operations. An Amazon drone operator loads the single shoebox-size box that can fit inside its MK27-2 Prime Air drone AmazonIt was a surprising setback for Amazon. Meanwhile, Amazon is working on development of its next-generation Prime Air drone called the MK30, and known internally as CX-3.

☆ Amazon's Prime Air reportedly has only made a handful of drone deliveries, as FAA restrictions have thwarted widespread use
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The FAA is blocking Amazon's drones from flying over people or roads without case by case permission, according to The Information. In 2020, Insider reported that Amazon's Prime Air was issued an approval certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, to use "unmanned aircraft systems" in a commercial operation. That's curtailed the number of deliveries Amazon's Prime Air can make. One reason might be because Amazon's drones are pretty heavy, coming in at 80 lbs when empty, even though the packages it can carry have a weight limit of 5 lbs. Added to that, Amazon's drones have crashed several times during testing, with one igniting an "acres-wide brush fire" in 2021 Insider reported.

☆ Amazon has gutted the safety teams for its ambitious drone delivery program, as employees warn of stepped-up pressure to meet delivery goals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Amazon launched its Prime Air drone delivery program ten years ago. Prime Air's safety teams have been hit hard by Amazon's far-reaching layoffs, employees said. The drone safety team cuts, combined with stepped-up pressure to meet delivery targets, have generated new concerns about the potential dangers the program poses and thrown into question Amazon's stated commitment to safety, the employees said. Prime Air has previously faced criticism from employees who say the pressure from executives to meet ambitious goals for drone delivery has at times superseded safety considerations. Even before the layoffs, Prime Air was struggling, this employee added.

☆ Amazon's drone delivery unit hit with layoffs just as 10-year-old project finally launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Two employees said Carbon, who replaced Prime Air co-founder Gur Kimchi, was hired to turn Prime Air into a real business with a sensible budget. Sources with knowledge of Prime Air said cuts in the drone delivery business were expected considering the division's many struggles. Monica Williams, a College Station resident, poses with a Prime Air drone at a community event in July. College Station residents also expressed concern about the prospect of drones harming the deer, foxes and birds that are native to the area. "As we continue to expand, we will update you when drone delivery is available for your household."

☆ Leaked Amazon screenshots show employees scrambling to identify teams affected by layoffs. Here's a list of more than 35 groups getting cuts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In an internal Slack channel, Amazon staff shared team names and job levels to add clarity to the process. As Amazon began the largest layoffs in company history on Wednesday, an internal Slack channel blew up with employees sharing details about the job cuts. The layoffs-related Slack channel has over 37,000 members. "It's been moving so fast, I can't keep up with scrolling," another person told Insider about the Slack channel. Many employees in the Slack channel expressed shock and surprise.

☆ A first look at Amazon's new delivery drone, slated to start deliveries this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly a decade after Jeff Bezos first announced drone delivery, Amazon says it's finally ready to start air-dropping packages — literally. If, when it gets to its delivery location, your dog runs underneath the drone, we won't deliver the package," said Calsee Hendrickson, who leads product and program management for the Prime Air drone program. Hendrickson gave CNBC a first look at the drone, the MK27-2, on Thursday. She said it will start making deliveries in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas, by the end of 2022. The drone is about five-and-a-half feet in diameter and weighs 80 pounds, according to Hendrickson.

☆ After 28 years, 'Day 2' finally arrives at Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-24 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Amazon is known for "Day 1" culture, maintaining a nimble mindset found on a startup's first day. This is a big challenge facing Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who replaced founder Jeff Bezos last year. On May 26, Amazon retail CEO Dave Clark held a fireside chat with employees at an internal event called Fishbowl. But 28 years on, Day 2 has finally arrived, according to more than a dozen current and former Amazon employees who cited problems including a stodgy engineering culture, extra management layers, and rising red tape. "Historically Amazon was one of the best places for builders, but now when people want to build, they leave Amazon," this person said.

☆ Amazon says it will begin delivering packages by drone in California later this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-13 | by ( Todd Haselton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Amazon said Monday it will begin to deliver products using Prime Air drones in Lockeford, California, later this year. It's the first time the company plans to use drones for customer deliveries in the United States. Walmart's drone delivery program is available to more than 4 million households in the U.S., for example. Amazon said the drone technology can detect and fly around obstacles like chimneys. The drone also makes sure there aren't people, animals or other obstacles at the delivery site, the company said.

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