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☆ Amazon's secret war on Android: The company has a plan to cure Alexa's addiction to Google's operating system.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Amazon's Alexa division is cutting costs across the board, having laid off thousands of employees and reshuffled projects over the past 18 months. Vega is a "new portable operating system for consumer electronics developed by Amazon," the document explained. Tech newsletter Lowpass previously reported on some parts of the new Vega OS. Feature parity gapThe feature parity gap between Amazon's own Alexa devices and third-party voice-assistants using Alexa has long been a problem, both internally and externally, according to the people familiar. Not off Android entirelyWith the new Vega OS, Amazon is reducing its reliance on the Android-based Fire OS.

Persons: Panos Panay, Andy Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Vega, Dave Limp, Alexa, It's Organizations: Alexa, Business, Software, BI, Amazon, Amazon's, Tech, Google, Blue, Washington Post, Vega

☆ Amazon's internal documents warn employees not to use generative AI models for work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon is warning employees not to use third-party generative AI tools for work, according to multiple internal guidances viewed by Business Insider. Amazon's internal third-party generative AI use and interaction policy, viewed by BI, warns that the companies offering generative AI services may take a license to or ownership over anything employees input into tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Amazon's internal generative AI policy states employees can use third-party models for work if they obtain director and legal approval and comply with any applicable security reviews. Amazon's spokesperson Adam Montgomery said the company has been developing generative AI and large machine learning models for a long time and employees use its AI models every day. "We have safeguards in place for employee use of these technologies, including guidance on accessing third-party generative AI services and protecting confidential information," Montgomery said.

Persons: Amazon's, Adam Montgomery, Montgomery, Ashley Stewart, Eugene Kim Organizations: Business, BI, Microsoft Locations: OpenAI

☆ Wyze breach: About 13,000 home security customers were shown someone else’s home
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Wyze, a smart camera maker, said that some users last week saw footage from cameras that weren’t their own because of a security glitch. As Wyze worked to bring the cameras back, about 13,000 users “experienced a security issue” where they saw wrong thumbnails from other users in the Wyze app. About 1,500 users clicked on the tabs showing the other people’s footage, which enlarged the thumbnail and in some cases allowed people to view footage from other users cameras. Wyze is blaming the incident on “a third-party caching client library” that it began using in its system. It’s not the first security incident that has affected Wyze.

Persons: New York CNN —, Wyze, “, It’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Alexa, Amazon Locations: New York

☆ Return-to-office mandates aren't making companies more valuable and productive, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That's according to a new paper that looks at how RTO mandates impact productivity and performance. If RTO mandates are hard to enforce, they probably don't make sense for that workplace. RTO mandates were more common for firms with "male and powerful CEOs." The authors found no significant impact of RTO mandates on stock returns or firm profitability. RTO mandates have divided many offices nationwide, including at leading tech and financial companies.

Persons: —, Nick Bloom, RTO, Bloom, Danielle Organizations: Service, Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, Amazon, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Stanford, The Conference Board Locations: Glassdoor

☆ Some Amazon employees discuss unionizing over the company's return-to-office mandate
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewA small number of Amazon employees are discussing unionizing over the company's return-to-office policy. AdvertisementAmazon's RTO policy is unusually strict. Some Amazon employees recently took to the Slack channel to announce their resignations specifically over the return-to-hub policy. "Tomorrow is my last day at Amazon," one of the employees wrote in December. Unionization among corporate tech employees is rare.

Persons: —, RTO, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, Amazonians Locations: Staten Island

☆ Amazon employees fear increased 'quiet firing' tactics and a 'brain drain'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Eugene Kim | Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Silent sacking, Garrison told BI, "is how Amazon is going to reduce operational costs without negatively affecting the stock price. Some Amazon employees recently took to Slack to announce their resignations specifically over the return-to-hub policy. Another AWS employee told BI they feel like they are "doing the job of three people." Any suggestion to the contrary is untrue," the Amazon spokesperson said. Are you an Amazon employee or do you have insight to share?

Persons: they're, Justin Garrison, Garrison, wasn't, URA, hasn't, that's, Slack, RTO, we'd, They've Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, BI, Amazon Web Services

☆ Amazon's biggest generative AI product launch was rushed and flawed, leaving insiders looking for answers
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

"Q should be more polished, given how far behind we are," one of the Amazon employees told BI. An Amazon spokesperson said Q is not based on a single AI model, and its launch followed standard operating procedure. They said Q primarily used Claude Instant 1.2, a cheaper, lighter, and faster version of the AI model that was released in August. More approachable, but too simpleCurrently, Amazon Q is only offered in preview mode to select customers. Some AWS employees, however, say it feels like the company is in a mad dash to release new products, even if they are subpar.

Persons: —, Q, That's, Anthropic's Claude, It's, Google's Bard, Claude, Andy Jassy, Richard Brian Bedrock, Dario Amodei, Anthropic, Randall Hunt, Hunt, Corey Quinn, Quinn, Amazon's Trainium, Adam Selipsky, Selipsky, Amazon's Organizations: Service, Amazon, Business, Microsoft, Google, Claude, AWS's, Oracle, Duckbill, Nvidia, AWS

☆ There's an uptick in Amazon employees quitting right now, blaming a strict RTO mandate, layoffs, and 'lack of respect'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some Amazon employees have noticed an increasing number of Slack messages lately from colleagues who are quitting over the company's strict return-to-office mandate. Many Amazon employees received deadlines for starting to work in offices and the uptick in departures may be related to teams nearing those various deadlines. "This [is] my last day at Amazon," another AWS employee wrote on Friday. However, BI has asked the company for comment on its RTO policy many times in recent months. "Tomorrow is my last day at Amazon," one Amazon employee wrote on Thursday.

Persons: Slack, RTO, Merritt Baer, Brad Glasser, there's, we've, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Business, Amazon, Web Services, BI Locations: RTO

☆ Performance-improvement plans in tech: 4 Google and Amazon employees share what happened after they were put on PIP
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Aria Yang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A former Amazon employee said they developed PTSD from the demanding work. A former Amazon employee was put on PIP and lost a $110,000 deposit on a houseA former Amazon Web Services employee thought things were going well before he was put on a performance-improvement plan called Pivot. An Amazon employee said Amazon placed some employees in a coaching program called FocusA marketing manager at Amazon described getting emails from their manager saying they were underperforming and needed coaching. Later, they said, a coworker pointed out that the manager might've been referring to a coaching program for underperformers called Focus. AdvertisementAn Amazon representative disputed the former employee's account, saying it "does not represent the experience of the vast majority of our employees."

Persons: wouldn't, —, messaged, Slack, that's, Grigory Yakushev, Grigory Yakushev Yakushev, he'd, Yakushev, Read, Amazon, might've, I'm Organizations: Workers, Amazon, Service, Amazon Web, Business, Google, underperformers, Business Insider, Amazon HR

☆ Amazon's AI chatbot, Q, might be in the throes of a mental health crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon Web Services unveiled Q, its business-focused generative AI chatbot, last week. Q was designed to be a more reliable alternative to consumer-focused AI chatbots. AdvertisementAmazon's Q , the AI chatbot for workers its cloud division unveiled on Tuesday, appears to have a few issues. It's not uncommon for generative AI chatbots to falter. It wasn't long after Microsoft released its consumer-focused generative AI assistant, Sydney, that it went viral with its own hallucinations .

Persons: —, Slack, it's, It's Organizations: Amazon Web Services, Service, Microsoft Locations: Sydney

☆ Amazon broke federal labor law by calling Staten Island union organizers 'thugs,' interrogating workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, left, speaks next to Christian Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), during an ALU rally in the Staten Island borough of New York, U.S., on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Amazon and consultants for the company violated federal labor law by interrogating and threatening employees regarding their union activities, and racially disparaging organizers who were seeking to unionize a Staten Island warehouse, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled. In April 2022, employees voted to join the Amazon Labor Union, a grassroots group of current and former workers, becoming the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. The judge in New York heard testimony from Amazon employees, managers and labor consultants in virtual hearings that went on for almost a year. Amazon continues to challenge the JFK8 election results, as well as the NLRB and the union's conduct during the drive.

Persons: Bernie Sanders, Christian Smalls, Judge Lauren Esposito, Esposito, Daequan Smith, Bradley Moss, Moss, Smith, Natalie Monarrez, Monarrez, Monarrez . Moss, Chris Smalls, David Zapolsky, Amazon's, Smalls Organizations: Amazon Labor Union, National Labor Relations, NLRB, Amazon, Huffington, Department of Labor, BHM1, Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union Locations: Vermont, Staten Island, New York, U.S, JFK8, unionizing, Bessemer , Alabama, Monarrez

☆ German union Verdi calls for strikes at Amazon on Black Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 23 (Reuters) - German trade union Verdi has called on members to go on strike at five Amazon (AMZN.O) distribution centres across Germany on Black Friday, it said in a statement on Thursday. Strong demand thanks to bargains on Black Friday mean the day is usually one of the most profitable for online retailers like Amazon. "Amazon employees have decided to rename Black Friday 'Make Amazon Pay Day'", said Silke Zimmer, the member for retail on Verdi's governing board. "It's not for nothing that half of our colleagues have been with us for over five years," the Amazon spokesperson said.

Persons: Pascal, Verdi, Silke Zimmer, Matthias Inverardi, Louis van Boxel, Woolf, Emma, Victoria Farr, Miranda Murray, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon, Bad, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Germany, Koblenz, Leipzig, Rheinberg, Dortmund, U.S

☆ I quit college and became a truck driver. It's the best decision I've made for my career.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Aria Yang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kiara Areli, a 22-year-old truck driver based in the Chicago area. At Amazon, I joined the Amazon Career Choice program , an educational initiative designed to empower Amazon employees to learn new skills for career success. Becoming a truck driver was one of the best decisions I've ever madeBefore becoming a truck driver, I was in a dark place and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Honestly, I don't regret not continuing college — now I feel like I have a purpose because I'm also inspiring others to consider this truck driving career path. If you have worked as a truck driver and want to share your story, email Aria Yang at ayang@insider.com.

Persons: —, Kiara Areli, would've, you'll, It's, I've, I'm, Aria Yang Organizations: Service, Amazon Locations: Chicago, Lockport, Lombard, Batavia , Illinois, Skokie , Illinois, ayang@insider.com

☆ Amazon is blocking promotions of employees who don't comply with its return-to-office policy, leaked documents show
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon told its managers last month that employees slated for promotions must comply with the company's return-to-office policy, which requires them to be in the office at least three times a week. Last month, Amazon told managers that they now have discretion to fire employees who refuse to comply with the return-to-office policy, as Insider previously reported . Amazon employees have been unsuccessfully protesting the RTO mandate since February, when it was first announced . And then, Amazon told managers they were allowed to fire employees who didn't comply. They are:An employee's role must have the capacity to be performed at the next level.

Persons: Slack, Jeff Organizations: Amazon, Business

☆ Amazon's $1 billion cloud deal with Microsoft includes 550,000 licenses for corporate employees and 1 million for warehouse workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's multiyear commitment to use Microsoft 365 includes more than 1.5 million license seats across different tiers of Microsoft's cloud-based productivity suite, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The pact includes around 550,000 seats of Microsoft's M365 E5 product for corporate workers and 1 million seats of M365 F5 for frontline staff such as fulfillment center employees, the person said. A person familiar with Amazon's operations said the company stayed off of the cloud version of Microsoft's 365 products because they didn't previously want to save anything on a competitor's cloud. F5 is an upgraded version of Microsoft's M365 product for frontline workers. M365 F5 starts at $8 per user per month, which would be $480 million for all 1 million licenses over 5 years.

Persons: Amazon's, It's Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon

☆ AI, machine learning, and robotics are making the retail supply chain more efficient and resilient — a welcome shift after several rocky years
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementIncreasing efficiencies in the retail supply chain is necessaryPaul Maguire, the head of retail delivery at the digital consultancy Endava, told Insider that embarking on a digital transformation was critical to better-connected and more resilient retail supply chains. Digital technology will "close gaps in supply-chain visibility" and help retailers "manage future unforeseen surges in product demand," he said. These innovations will "continue to bolster and streamline the retail supply chain as they become even more sophisticated," Maguire said. AdvertisementAdvertisementTo survive, Perry said that the retail supply chain must take steps to become more agile and flexible. ScanditA data-driven tech strategy can also help retailers appeal to sustainability-conscious consumers.

Persons: —, Paul Maguire, Maguire, John Perry, Perry, they'd, Wunderman, Arifi, Naji, Wunderman Thompson, Samuel Mueller, Mueller Organizations: Service, SCALA Consulting, Wunderman Thompson Commerce & Technology, DFS, Wunderman Thompson Commerce, Technology Locations: Ukraine, SCALA, British

☆ Amazon's focus on speed, surveillance drives higher warehouse worker injuries, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An employee looks for items in one of the corridors at an Amazon warehouse. Amazon warehouse workers are suffering physical injuries and mental stress on the job as a result of the company's extreme focus on speed and pervasive surveillance, according to a new study. The data adds to a drumbeat of scrutiny around Amazon's workplace safety and treatment of warehouse employees. The researchers estimate Amazon is the largest warehouse employer in the country, accounting for an estimated 29% of workers in the industry. In June, a Senate committee led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also launched a probe into Amazon's warehouse safety.

Persons: they've, they're, Sen, Bernie Sanders Organizations: University of Illinois Chicago's Center, Urban Economic, Amazon, Regulators, Walmart, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, U.S, Attorney's, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: U.S

☆ Microsoft is preparing to bring on Amazon as a customer of its 365 cloud tools in a $1 billion megadeal, according to an internal document
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft is preparing to bring on Amazon as a major customer of its 365 cloud productivity tools, a megadeal that would transform bitter rivals into business partners, according to an internal document and a person familiar with the situation. The e-commerce giant has committed more than $1 billion over five years to secure more than one million Microsoft 365 license seats, according to the document, which was reviewed by Insider. Amazon uses a local, on-premise version of Microsoft's Office products but plans to move to Microsoft's 365 suite of cloud based productivity tools, the person explained. That's around the time when Microsoft releases a new version of its 365 suite of applications with new AI capabilities. A person familiar with Amazon's operations said the company stayed off of the cloud version of Microsoft's 365 products because they didn't previously want to save anything on a competitor's cloud.

Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon, Microsoft's Locations: That's

☆ Leaked memo shows Amazon will make Fresh grocery deliveries for Prime members a lot cheaper again
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Ashley Stewart | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon Prime members in the US will soon be able to get free grocery delivery orders from Amazon Fresh when they spend over $100 on the site, Insider has learned. In an email to Insider, Claire Peters, Amazon's worldwide VP of Amazon Fresh, said the change will go into effect Thursday afternoon. Amazon offers grocery delivery to Prime members in more than 3,500 cities and towns across the U.S. Non-Prime members in a dozen metro areas, including Austin, Boston, and San Diego, can also receive grocery deliveries. Amazon is considering a separate, standalone grocery subscription service for Prime members, as Insider previously reported . The internal document about the new Fresh fee structure reflects Amazon's willingness to keep investing in the Fresh grocery business.

Persons: Claire Peters, Peters, Amazon's, it's, Amazon, It's, Brian Olsavsky, Eugene Kim Organizations: Amazon, Foods, U.S . Locations: Austin, Boston, San Diego

☆ Inside Project Nile: Amazon's secret AI-powered plan to change the way you shop online.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Project Nile is a confidential initiative wherein we're building a conversational shopping agent for Retail customers," one internal document explained. Wearing that "I love AI" t-shirt, Sirosh, VP of Amazon Search and Alexa Shopping, introduced Project Nile as a "super confidential" project. Project Nile isn't the only move Amazon has made in the popular generative AI space. For Amazon's retail side, Project Nile is one of the most important projects. Sirosh has told his team he's "staffing up very rapidly" as Project Nile is the "absolute top priority."

Persons: Joseph Sirosh, Sirosh, Stephen Lam, It's, they're, Andy Jassy, Doug Herrington, Jassy, Rohit Prasad, ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing, Google's Bard Organizations: Amazon, Microsoft, Retail, Amazon Search, Alexa, Nile, ChatGPT, Google Locations: Anthropic, OpenAI

☆ Leaked screenshot shows Amazon is now tracking individual employee office attendance records, reversing its anonymized data policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon is now tracking and sharing individual office attendance records, a reversal of an old policy, as the company doubles down on forcing employees back into the office. Amazon employees in the US are now able to see a "Badge Report" on their own internal HR dashboard, according to a screenshot obtained by Insider. The report shows "days badged per week" data and the exact "days of week" each employee badged-in for each of the past 8 weeks. The report excludes data for non-corporate Amazon buildings, like warehouses, data centers, and 3rd party offices such as WeWork. The memo added badge data is not available to employees in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Korea, or Taiwan.

Persons: Peter DeSantis, Rob Munoz, Munoz, Andy Jassy, it's Locations: Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Korea, Taiwan

☆ Amazon SVP pledges to clarify RTO policy, says warning email about office attendance was meant to be a 'nudge'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He also told employees to share anecdotes of being pressured to immediately relocate with his HR team, so he could "dig into" those situations. "I think we created some noise, which I think is important because we really do want people back in the office," DeSantis said, according to the transcript. 'Take another whack at clarifying this message'At the town hall meeting, DeSantis said the employees who were asked to relocate were those "in purely virtual locations." 'Kind of a nudge'In August, many Amazon employees received an email accusing them of not adhering to the company's RTO policy. The warning email, he said, was "well-intentioned" and only meant to be a "nudge" for people who weren't complying.

Persons: hasn't, Peter DeSantis, DeSantis, Rob Munoz, Munoz, Andy Jassy Michael M, Andy Jassy's, what's Organizations: Amazon, Utility Computing

☆ Amazon employees slam its Clubhouse-competing app in internal meeting following abrupt leadership change: 'This place is becoming a circus'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Eugene Kim | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A sudden leadership change at Amazon's Amp live radio division this week has drawn a rancorous response and trenchant questions from employees, reflecting the mounting hostility within the failing business. Shortly after the announcement, employees submitted a long list of questions for leadership at an internal town hall meeting scheduled for Wednesday. 'Failing to lead Amp to success'Many questions submitted by employees asked about the general direction of the Amp business. Another person noted the Amp team has missed some of its key performance goals, such as monthly active users. Employees expressed a strong distrust of the leadership team, too.

Persons: Matt Sandler, John Ciancutti, Alok Verma, didn't, Nicki Minaj, Sandler, John, Eugene Kim, Katherine Long Organizations: Amazon, Amazon Music's, Amazon Care, Employees

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

☆ AI Can Build Software in Under 7 Minutes for Less Than $1: Study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They found AI could develop software in under 7 minutes for less than $1 in costs, on average. The findings come after researchers published another study in which AI agents powered by large language models were able to run a virtual town on their own. Once the researchers gave the AI bots their roles, each bot was allocated to their respective stages. "Our experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the automated software development process driven by CHATDEV," the researchers wrote in the paper. Nevertheless, the study isn't perfect: Researchers identified limitations, such as errors and biases in the language models, that could cause issues in the creation of software.

Persons: ChatDev, didn't, Daniel Dippold Organizations: Service, Brown University Locations: Wall, Silicon, Berlin

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