Amazon

Amazon suspended a software engineer, Ahmed Shahrour, for criticizing its ties with the Israeli government, specifically the Project Nimbus cloud computing contract. Shahrour voiced concerns over the project’s potential impact on Palestinians. Amazon cited potential policy violations, while Shahrour alleges selective enforcement of content moderation, creating a climate of fear. This highlights growing tensions within the tech industry regarding freedom of speech, ethical considerations, and business relationships with governments facing human rights concerns. Similar incidents have occurred at Microsoft and Google.

Amazon’s Zoox launched its robotaxi service in Las Vegas, challenging Waymo in the autonomous vehicle market. Zoox’s purpose-built electric vehicle, without steering wheel or pedals, differentiates it from competitors like Waymo and Tesla. Following Las Vegas, Zoox plans expansion to San Francisco, Austin, and Miami. Zoox emphasizes safety and passenger experience, aiming for a communal ride with panoramic views. While profitability is years away, Amazon is committed, highlighting Zoox’s unique approach and long-term potential.

Jeff Bezos has completed the sale of 25 million Amazon shares, netting roughly $5.7 billion, according to an SEC filing. The sales, part of a prearranged plan initiated earlier this year, concluded on July 24th. Bezos’s divestitures coincided with his recent wedding in Venice. Amazon’s stock has risen 38% since late April. He has a history of selling Amazon stock to fund ventures like Blue Origin and plans to sell more shares before January 2025. Bezos currently ranks third on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Amazon’s 2023 Prime Day achieved record sales with members saving billions globally. Leveraging AI tools like Alexa+ for personalized recommendations and Rufus for conversational shopping, the event saw massive adoption of popular devices like Ring Doorbells and Fire Sticks. Significant growth occurred in grocery, healthcare via RxPass, and Prime Video integrations, driving deeper ecosystem lock-in. Exclusive member benefits like fast delivery and healthcare savings further solidified Amazon’s retail dominance. Analysts note the event’s strategy successfully monetizes consumer attention across its expanding ecosystem, delivering products to members in under 3 minutes in some areas.

Amazon is testing humanoid robots for package delivery, aiming to automate last-mile logistics. Leveraging technology from Chinese firms like Unitree Robotics, DeepSeek, and Alibaba, Amazon is building a simulated environment to assess robot performance in complex delivery scenarios. The initiative combines hardware and software to enhance robots’ capabilities, aiming to replace human delivery personnel and integrate robots with Rivian electric delivery vans. This move underscores the growing influence of Chinese technology in global automation.