Amazon

Amazon has acquired Rivr, a Swiss robotics company specializing in autonomous doorstep delivery. This strategic move enhances Amazon’s last-mile logistics capabilities, aiming to improve safety and customer experience. Rivr’s technology, including a four-legged robotic platform, will be integrated to assist delivery associates. This acquisition aligns with Amazon’s ongoing investment in automation and robotics across its operations.

Federal Reserve holds rates steady amidst inflation concerns. Oil prices surge due to Middle Eastern geopolitical tensions. Memory chip demand fuels a tech rally, with Micron surpassing expectations. Amazon and USPS face contract renewal challenges, impacting USPS finances. Concerns arise over the U.S. unemployment system’s preparedness for a potential downturn.

Amazon and the USPS have reached an impasse in their delivery partnership. Amazon claims negotiations collapsed when the Postal Service withdrew at the last minute. Amazon intends to reduce its reliance on USPS by two-thirds by September, despite claiming it wanted to increase volumes. The breakdown occurs as the USPS faces financial challenges and Amazon expands its own logistics network, including rural delivery, aiming for greater control over delivery.

The stock market declined due to rising wholesale inflation and oil prices, fueled by Middle East tensions. Amazon shares fell as AI’s long-term cloud revenue potential was overshadowed by concerns over near-term AI investments. Starbucks stock was downgraded amid high growth expectations and unclear cost-saving plans. Other companies discussed included Lululemon, General Mills, Williams-Sonoma, Constellation Brands, and Disney.

Amazon is launching one-hour and three-hour delivery services in select U.S. markets, covering over 90,000 products. This move aims to meet increasing consumer demand for speed and convenience in e-commerce. The faster delivery options will have associated fees, with Prime members receiving lower rates. This expansion signifies Amazon’s continued investment in logistics to maintain its competitive edge.

Oil prices rebounded after reports of vessel strikes off Iran’s coast. Oracle’s cloud momentum fueled strong earnings and a raised outlook. Kevin Warsh faces economic and political hurdles if nominated Fed Chair. Big Tech is divided on Pentagon AI use, with Microsoft supporting Anthropic and Alphabet deepening defense ties. Amazon secured an injunction against AI scraping by Perplexity. Gasoline prices hit a new high.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon for hindering SpaceX’s orbital data center plans while failing to meet its own satellite deployment goals. Amazon has requested extensions for its Kuiper project, citing rocket shortages and manufacturing delays. The dispute highlights tensions in the growing low-Earth orbit sector, with SpaceX’s ambitious AI data center proposal facing scrutiny from scientists and Amazon itself.

Amazon is increasing the price of its ad-free Prime Video tier, now “Prime Video Ultra,” by $2 to $4.99 per month, effective April 10. This move aligns with industry standards and offers enhanced features like 4K streaming and more offline downloads. The adjustment follows the introduction of ads on the standard Prime Video service and supports Amazon’s expansion into the digital advertising market, which has seen significant growth in ad revenue and viewership.

OpenAI has secured a monumental $110 billion funding round, valuing the company at $730 billion. Amazon is a key investor, contributing $50 billion and forming a strategic partnership to develop bespoke AI models for its applications. This deal includes a significant expansion of OpenAI’s cloud commitment with AWS. Nvidia and SoftBank also participated in the round. The funding supports OpenAI’s ambitious compute spending targets and aims to bolster its enterprise offerings amidst growing competition.

David Luan, head of Amazon’s Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) lab, is leaving the company less than two years after joining via an acqui-hire of his startup, Adept. Luan plans to “cook up something new,” focusing on teaching AI new capabilities as AGI development progresses. His departure follows a reorganization of Amazon’s AGI division, now led by Peter DeSantis. The FTC is scrutinizing acqui-hire deals, including Amazon’s acquisition of Adept, due to potential circumvention of regulatory oversight. Amazon declined to comment.