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Warehouse workers pick items up, sort them and put them down millions of times a day. Warehouse workers at Amazon and other companies are at risk of developing repetitive-stress injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. The Sparrow is “a major leap in technology challenge and technology development,” said Joseph Quinlivan, Amazon’s vice president of global robotics and technology. Amazon workers at the robotics facility in Westborough, Mass. New robots aren’t expected to replace warehouse employees but will lead to more roles to work with the robots, Amazon said.

☆ Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Says Layoffs Will Extend Into Next Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon .com Inc. chief executive Andy Jassy said that layoffs under way at the tech company, which will extend into next year, are the most difficult decision he has made since taking over from Jeff Bezos last year. Mr. Jassy, in a note to employees made public, said positions are being eliminated across Amazon’s devices and books businesses. The company is cutting jobs across its corporate ranks that could affect 10,000 employees, or 3% of corporate staff, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

☆ Amazon CEO says job cuts will continue into 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN Business —Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said job cuts at the e-commerce giant would continue into early next year, in his first public remarks since the company began widespread layoffs earlier this week. “Our annual planning process extends into the new year, which means there will be more role reductions as leaders continue to make adjustments,” Jassy wrote in a letter to staff Thursday. Facebook-parent Meta recently announced 11,000 job cuts, the largest in the company’s history. Twitter also announced widespread job cuts after Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion. “It’s not lost on me or any of the leaders who make these decisions that these aren’t just roles we’re eliminating, but rather, people with emotions, ambitions, and responsibilities whose lives will be impacted,” Jassy wrote.

☆ Amazon CEO says job cuts will continue into next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Amazon confirms it has begun laying off employees
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Amazon confirmed on Wednesday that layoffs had begun at the company, two days after multiple outlets reported the e-commerce giant planned to cut around 10,000 employees this week. Amazon and other tech firms significantly ramped up hiring over the past couple of years as the pandemic shifted consumers’ habits towards e-commerce. Facebook-parent Meta recently announced 11,000 job cuts, the largest in the company’s history. Twitter also announced widespread job cuts after Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion, funded in part by debt financing. After reaching record highs during the pandemic, shares of Amazon have shed more than 40% in 2022 so far.

☆ Amazon’s New Telehealth Service to Offer Care for Common Conditions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon Clinic, Amazon’s new telehealth service, allows people in 32 states to get care for common conditions. Amazon .com Inc. launched a new telehealth service Tuesday, the e-commerce company’s latest effort to expand its healthcare offerings. Amazon Clinic allows customers in 32 states to get virtual care for common conditions such as allergies, acne, hair loss and heartburn, according to the company.

☆ Walmart Black Friday sale: 20+ best deals from Google, Shark, Samsung
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Mili Godio | Mili Godio Is An Associate Reporter For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

SKIP AHEAD Best Walmart Black Friday sales | What to expect during Walmart’s Deals for Days 2022 | Walmart Black Friday price matching | What is Walmart+? Best Walmart Black Friday deals to shop nowBased on our previous coverage and Select reader interest, we rounded up some of the best deals from Walmart’s Black Friday sale. Best Walmart Black Friday sales to shop nowHere are some of the best sales to shop for during Walmart’s Black Friday sale that we think you’ll want to know about. What to expect during Walmart’s Deals for Days 2022As with the past two years, Walmart’s Black Friday savings event — known as Deals for Days — hosts deals throughout the majority of November. Walmart will also host deals on Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) to close out its Deals for Days event.

☆ Jeff Bezos is an unlikely personal finance guru
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Nov 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Jeff Bezos, the man who sells everything, is telling shoppers to stop buying everything. It may seem odd that Bezos, who built a $1 trillion company on ease and convenience, is doling out financial advice that cuts against his business interests. E-commerce is only 14.5% of overall retail sales of some $1.8 trillion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile pure-play e-commerce companies that don’t have their roots in real-world stores represented 8% of retail sales in the second quarter compared to 5.7% in the second quarter in 2019, reckons UBS. In short, Amazon can grow even when retail doesn’t, meaning Bezos the billionaire can afford to be the unlikely voice of parsimony.

☆ Amazon Set to Lay Off Thousands of Corporate Workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon .com Inc. is set to lay off thousands of workers as the company continues a broad cost-cutting review led by Chief Executive Andy Jassy , a person familiar with the matter said. The tech company’s layoffs, which could begin as soon as this week, are targeted for corporate employees and could primarily affect Amazon’s devices business, which includes its hit Alexa products, as well as human resources and retail, the person said. The retail unit has been the primary organization that has overseen a slowdown of online sales this year.

☆ German antitrust watchdog widens Amazon probe under new regulation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Germany's antitrust watchdog said on Monday it had expanded two probes into U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon.com (AMZN.O) making use of new regulation allowing it to prohibit any anti-competitive behaviour at an earlier stage. "We are examining in both proceedings whether and how Amazon impedes the business opportunities of sellers that are active on the Amazon marketplace and compete with Amazon’s own retail business," Federal Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt said in a statement. Changes to Germany's antitrust laws for digital corporations, which came into effect last year, give the cartel office more power in identifying and prohibiting some companies' dominant positions. According to the cartel office, Amazon operates the most important marketplace in e-commerce, giving it a key position in that area that allows it to set the rules for competition on its platform. "Our new competencies, which are precisely intended to restrict such power to set rules, allow us to intervene more efficiently against Amazon’s anti-competitive practices," Mundt said.

☆ Jeff Bezos for the first time says he will give most of his money to charity
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Though Bezos’ vow was light on specifics, this marks the first time he has announced that he plans to give away most of his money. “I just feel honored to be able to be a part of what they’re doing for this world,” Bezos told CNN. Bezos has committed $10 billion over 10 years, or about 8% of his current net worth, to the Bezos Earth Fund, which Sánchez co-chairs. The economic downturnWhile Bezos and Sánchez plot out their plans for Bezos’ immense wealth, many people of more modest means are bracing for what economists fear may be an extended economic downturn. CNN recently reported that Bezos and Jay-Z are in talks on a potential joint bid on the Washington Commanders.

Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Andy Jassy is leading a cost-cutting review of the tech giant and paring back on businesses at the company that haven’t been profitable, according to people familiar with the matter. As part of the monthslong cost-cutting review, Amazon’s leadership is closely evaluating its Alexa business, according to some of the people. The business has more than 10,000 employees and is a major recipient of investment capital, some of the people said. Internal documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal show that in some recent years Amazon’s devices unit, which includes Alexa, had an operating loss of more than $5 billion a year.

☆ Amazon May Not Look Like Amazon for a While
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon is hardly alone among tech giants cinching their belts. But the latest move stands out as the storied tech giant possibly going after some sacred cows. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday morning that Amazon has launched a “cost-cutting review” that is focusing on unprofitable business units. Among those is the Alexa business, which covers Amazon’s pioneering voice-recognition technology and the now myriad devices that use it. Documents reviewed by the Journal suggest that Amazon’s hardware business that includes Alexa runs operating losses in the neighborhood of $5 billion a year.

☆ 'The English' and 'Mammals' review: Emily Blunt and James Corden can't lead two Amazon series out of the woods
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Both run six episodes, with “The English” structured as a limited series, and “Mammals” paving the way for future seasons, while incorporating too many twists in its dramedy format to discuss much about what happens. James Corden and Melia Kreiling in Amazon's dark comedy "Mammals." While both series should help bring attention to Amazon Prime, neither completely works. That said, there’s probably not enough strictly on their respective merits to lead either of these Amazon shows through the jungle and out of the woods. “Mammals” and “The English” premiere November 11 on Amazon Prime.

☆ 20 best early Amazon Black Friday 2022 deals to shop now
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Mili Godio | Mili Godio Is An Associate Reporter For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

SKIP AHEAD Best Amazon Black Friday sales | Do you need a Prime membership to shop Amazon’s Black Friday deals? Unlike Prime Day and the most recent Prime Early Access Sale, anyone can shop Amazon’s Black Friday deals (although the retailer does offer some exclusive deals for Prime members). Amazon Black Friday 2022: The best early dealsBelow, we rounded up some of the best deals from Amazon’s early Black Friday event based on our previous coverage and Select reader interest. Best Amazon Black Friday 2022 sales to shopHere are some of the best sales to shop for during Amazon’s Black Friday sale that we think you’ll want to know about. Do you need a Prime membership to shop Amazon’s Black Friday deals?

☆ Airbnb Details Road Map to Lower Cloud Costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Belle Lin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

PREVIEWMany companies that have shifted their enterprise-technology tools to the cloud in recent years are similarly seeking to reduce their cloud costs, especially in the market downturn. Corporate cloud spending will moderate from recent highs, analysts say, as companies seek more discipline in that spending. “That reduced a significant amount of our storage costs right off the bat,” Mr. Nagle said. Airbnb, one of Amazon’s largest cloud customers according to Amazon, also worked with the cloud provider to figure out what it was overpaying for. By putting its spending toward lower-cost cloud services it uses more often, Airbnb is allocating its cloud budget “in a smarter way,” Mr. Bala said.

☆ Why Apple may be working on a ‘hey Siri’ change
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN Business —Apple reportedly wants to put an end to “Hey.”The company is said to be training its voice assistant Siri to pick up on commands without needing the first half of the prompt phrase “Hey Siri.” The trigger phrase is used to launch Siri on various products, including the iPhone, iPad, HomePod and Apple Watch. “‘Siri’ is much shorter than ‘Hey Siri,’ giving the system potentially less comparison points and higher error rate in an echo-y, large room and noisy environments,” such as in the car or when wind is present. The move would allow Apple to catch up to Amazon’s “Alexa” prompt that doesn’t require a first wake word for its voice assistant. The company then integrated Siri into the iPhone 4S, which was released the following year, and introduced the ability to say “Hey Siri” without physically touching a button in 2014. “While the ‘Hey Siri’ change requires a considerable amount of work, it would be surprising if Apple announced only this change to Siri,” Sanders said.

☆ New & Notable: Latest releases from Brooks, Burrow and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Zoe Malin | Zoe Malin Is The Associate Updates Editor For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

This story is part of Select's New & Notable column, where we highlight our favorite product launches, major sales, what we're buying and some of our latest recommendations and advice. This week, we’ve got Burrow’s new shelving system, the latest Brooks running sneaker, Lalo’s bath collection for kids and more. Brooks debuted the Ghost 15 sneaker for men and women. The sneaker is also designed with 9% more recycled material than the Ghost 14. — Zoe Malin, associate updates editorI decided to take advantage of Sephora’s Holiday Savings Event to stock up on some of my favorite skin care essentials.

☆ Social media users are calling Rihanna out for including Johnny Depp in her coming Savage X Fenty fashion show
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Daysia Tolentino | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Johnny Depp will appear in the fourth edition of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty fashion show, NBC News has confirmed. “We will boycott the show if Johnny Depp is in it,” a Twitter user said. “Delete the Johnny Depp scene now if it ever existed,” another wrote. Representatives for Amazon Prime and Savage X Fenty did not immediately respond to requests for comment. “If Johnny Depp has any part in this, I will no longer support the brand,” a Twitter user wrote.

☆ Amazon pauses hiring for corporate workforce
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is pausing hiring for roles in its corporate workforce, the company announced in a memo to staff Thursday. The company had already announced last month it would freeze hiring for corporate roles in its retail business, but the latest update affects its other businesses. Amazon’s HR chief Beth Galetti wrote in the memo that the company moved to further restrict new hiring amid a worsening economic outlook and after it hired rapidly in recent years. CEO Andy Jassy has also aggressively curtailed expenses across the company in recent months amid fears of a recession, rising inflation and soaring interest rates. Amazon says it employs about 75,000 people in the Seattle area, including its corporate offices there.

Others have ground to a halt, sending companies back to technology that is less sci-fi, but can be deployed more quickly and cost-effectively. Some companies are satisfied their robots are doing the job. The perils of the outdoors are a big problem for delivery robots, in particular. Some people have also raised concerns that delivery robots could block wheelchair access on sidewalks or otherwise get in the way of humans, leading local authorities to limit or prohibit their use. Toronto, for example, last December banned delivery robots.

But unbeknownst to this good Samaritan, he was being watched by an Amazon Ring doorbell camera on the front porch, reported The Washington Post. Surveillance proponents will claim this act of violence had nothing to do with Ring and other networked doorbell cameras. Surveillance proponents will claim this act of violence had nothing to do with Ring and other networked doorbell cameras. But we have to face reality: Blanketing our neighborhoods in surveillance devices that promote a culture of suspicion makes all of us less safe. It even went so far as to launch an actual TV show, “Ring Nation,” on Amazon-owned MGM, featuring viral video from Ring cameras and other surveillance devices.

☆ Walmart Black Friday 2022: What we know and deals to shop
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Mili Godio | Mili Godio Is An Associate Reporter For Select On Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

What to expect during Walmart’s Deals for Days 2022Like the past two years, Walmart’s Black Friday savings event — known as Deals for Days — will host deals throughout the majority of November. The first event kicks off on Monday, Nov. 7at 7 p.m. EDT (12 p.m. EDT for Walmart+ members) and continues in Walmart stores on Nov. 9. (12 p.m. EDT for Walmart+ members) and continues in Walmart stores on Nov. 9. Walmart will also host deals on Cyber Monday (Nov. 28) to close out its Deals for Days event. Best Walmart early Black Friday deals available nowBased on our previous coverage and Select reader interest, we rounded up some of the best deals from Walmart’s Black Friday sale.

☆ Amazon says India's Appario to stop selling on platform
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 31 (Reuters) - One of Amazon India's biggest sellers, Appario, will cease to list products on the shopping website, the U.S. firm said on Monday, after it faced years of allegations from brick-and-mortar retailers of giving preferential treatment to the seller. A Reuters investigation last year, based on Amazon documents, showed the U.S. company gave preferential treatment for years to a small group of sellers including Appario and another one named Cloudtail, and used them to bypass Indian laws. Amazon, which has maintained it does not give preferential treatment to any seller and complies with all laws, agreed to end its relationship with Cloudtail in August last year. Appario, a joint venture partnership between Amazon (AMZN.O) and India's Patni group, has listed products on Amazon India since 2017. The JV will continue but Appario will cease listing products on Amazon, the U.S. firm said in statement.

☆ Amazon’s Holiday Blues Come Early—and Hard
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Even the One Ring seems to have its limits. Amazon became the latest tech giant to disappoint Wall Street on Thursday—and to pay a heavy price for doing so. The company’s third-quarter results included revenue that was slightly below analysts’ estimates and another sharp drop in operating income—the latter down 48% year-over-year. Adding insult to injury, growth in the company’s subscription service revenue fell into single-digit territory for the first time ever, despite the debut of its costly “Lord of the Rings” series for subscribers of its Prime streaming service.

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