Amazon news and archive

Tech giants on board to bust online scams

Eleven global tech giants have pledged to do more to tackle the scourge of online scammers, the UK government said on Thursday, billing the promise as a world first. Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Match Group, Microsoft, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube have signed up to the Online Fraud Charter, which ministers say will...

Business

Amazon releases AI chatbot called 'Q'

Amazon on Tuesday released its own AI chatbot intended for businesses, about one year after ChatGPT took the world by storm. "Q" will be available only to Amazon's AWS cloud computing customers and will be in direct competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT as well as Google's Bard and Microsoft's copilots that also run on OpenAI's technology. Chatbots...

Business

German union calls on Amazon workers to strike on 'Black Friday'

Union Verdi called on workers at online retail giant Amazon in Germany to go on strike on the annual "Black Friday" shopping extravaganza, in their battle for better working conditions. The industrial action began in the night to Friday, and affects five out of Amazon's 20 logistic sites in Germany including Leipzig, Rheinberg, and Dortmund....

Retail

Snapchat to add in-app Amazon shopping

Amazon on Tuesday confirmed it is partnering with Snapchat-parent Snap to let users of the ephemeral messaging service buy things from the online retail titan without leaving the app. Snap shares shot up more than 7 percent on the news, ending the formal trading day at 12.15 dollars per share. "For the first time, customers will be able to shop...

Business

UK Amazon workers plan more strikes ahead of Black Friday

Workers of Amazon in the UK have gone on another strike and are planning more as they continue to demand for better pay from the marketplace giant. GMB Union said that more than 1,000 workers in Coventry are currently taking part in the strike, while the organisation further announced a strike ballot at the retailer’s new Birmingham-based...

Business

Amazon, Meta make 'fair competition' vows to UK regulator

Amazon and Facebook owner Meta have both voluntarily committed to changes to their retail platforms to help "protect fair competition", Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on Friday. The US online giants accepted the "sets of commitments" following separate investigations by the UK regulator into "competition concerns"...

Retail

Amazon to close apparel stores

Amazon is closing its two Amazon Style clothing stores as part of its recent retail strategy shift. The closures of its apparel outlets come as the retail giant focuses on its grocery division. In the US the conglomerate operates over 500 Whole Foods stores. The move follows the company's decision in March 2022 to close a substantial number of...

Business

Amazon reports profit surge to 9.9 billion dollars as sales grew

Online retail colossus Amazon on Thursday reported profit of 9.9 billion dollars in the recently ended quarter on growing sales and more efficient deliveries. Sales reached 143.1 billion dollars in the recently ended quarter, up 13 percent from the same period last year, according to Amazon. "We had a strong third quarter as our cost to serve...

Business

Amazon to expand drone delivery into Britain and Italy

Seattle - Amazon on Wednesday said it hopes to expand drone delivery into Britain and Italy by late next year, as it unveiled new warehouse robots and tech in its race to get shoppers what they want quickly. The Seattle-based e-commerce colossus said it will expand drone delivery of certain purchases to a third US state as well as to the two...

Business

Saudi probes alleged abuses at Amazon warehouses

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was investigating reports of grim conditions for migrant workers at Amazon warehouses in the kingdom, denouncing all labour abuse and exploitation as "unacceptable". The human resources and social development ministry said in a statement to AFP that the investigation began before Amnesty International...

Business

US says Amazon running illegal monopoly in online retail

A top US antitrust regulator sued Amazon on Tuesday, accusing the online retail behemoth of running an illegal monopoly by strong-arming sellers and stifling potential rivals. The highly anticipated lawsuit is another test for the Biden administration as it tries to curb the power of big tech in the face of pushback from US courtrooms. "Our...

Business

Amazon to invest up to 4 billion dollars in AI firm Anthropic

Amazon said on Monday it would invest up to 4 billion dollars in AI firm Anthropic, as the online retail giant steps into an AI race dominated by Microsoft, Google and OpenAI. The success of OpenAI's ChatGPT, a chatbot released last year that is able to generate poems, essays and other works with just a short prompt, has led to billions being...