Latest news with #Allard
India Today
2 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Amazon hires Xbox co-founder to lead ZeroOne team that will create breakthrough products
Amazon has a new team under its devices unit called the ZeroOne team, which will be led by the co-founder of Xbox and former Microsoft executive, J Allard, according to a report by CNBC. The team has been tasked with creating 'breakthrough' products. Allard, who worked with Microsoft for 19 years, co-founded Xbox. He was one of the prominent members at the time of the Xbox and Xbox 360 console launches. In 2010, Allard stepped down from his role as the technology chief of consumer products at Microsoft, and then worked at GoFundMe as their chief technology and product officer for a year. According to his LinkedIn profile, he then worked on his own company, Project 529 (which he founded in 2007), worked as a board member, and got his fellowship, until he joined Amazon in September 2024. At the time of writing the story, his current role at Amazon was listed as the vice president of ZeroOne. advertisementReportedly, the ZeroOne team will have people across Seattle, San Francisco and Sunnyvale, California. ZeroOne members will reportedly be working on both hardware and software projects. The name ZeroOne apparently signifies that the team will be working on the entire cycle of the product, from the concept to its launch. The Verge notes that a job listing for the new team reveals that one of these breakthrough products could be a smart home device. Reportedly, the ZeroOne team has job listings for senior roles in applied science, product marketing, and customer insights. The description for the role in applied science reveals that the person will be working on 'a new smart-home product', The Verge report reveals. Amazon already has a series of smart home devices under the Echo range of products that are powered by its AI software Amazon has reportedly also brought together people from across its various divisions, drawing on expertise from teams behind Alexa, the Luna cloud gaming platform, and the Halo sleep-tracking device, according to LinkedIn profiles of those now working on the ZeroOne initiative. One of the group's leaders is the former head of Lightform, a projection mapping startup previously acquired by Amazon is setting up a new team, the company is also cutting some corners at the same time. Earlier this year, Amazon laid off 100 employees from its Devices and Services unit, which oversees products like Echo speakers, Alexa, Kindle, and Zoox self-driving cars. According to the company, these layoffs were needed to align better with its product roadmap and streamline operations. Was it preparing to set up the ZeroOne team? Maybe. At the time, the company had said that the layoffs will help the company move faster.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Premier's chief-of-staff takes stand in lawsuit
The premier's chief of staff was questioned in a Winnipeg court Thursday about his role in preparing a news release that an independent candidate in the 2022 byelection claims was defamatory. Mark Rosner — along with the NDP and its candidate Trudy Schroeder — is being sued for defamation in civil court by Patrick Allard, an outspoken opponent of COVID-19 public health restrictions. Allard was an independent in the March 2022 Fort Whyte byelection that was won by Obby Khan, who was recently selected as Tory party leader. In the news release, the NDP described Allard as having used 'racist rhetoric.' Allard filed the lawsuit in December 2022. Rosner, who was NDP leader Wab Kinew's chief of staff and was on the party's byelection committee, was cross-examined by Allard's lawyer, Scott Cannon, on Thursday. Rosner told Court of King's Bench Justice Shane Perlmutter he stands by that description and believes it to be a fact. 'The choice of words was deliberate,' said Rosner, when asked by Cannon whether the intent was to infer Allard was a racist. The news release was issued on behalf of Schroeder after Liberal candidate Willard Reaves called for an all-candidates forum that would include Allard. A Free Press request for comment on Reaves' proposal prompted the release. The release quoted a campaign spokesperson as saying the proposal would give 'Allard a platform to spout his anti-vaccination and racist rhetoric' and the party declined to participate. Rosner had written that section of the release. Rosner told court he was aware of Allard's opposition to COVID-19 restrictions and his commentary on the matter at the time, including the comparison of reporting violators of health orders with people who reported 'attic-hiding Jews' in Nazi Germany. Rosner said he believes that comment trivialized the Holocaust and contributed to a diminished appreciation of the wrongs and the truth of the genocide in which six million Jews were killed by Nazis. 'That rhetoric, that argument, is racist in character,' said Rosner. 'The government did not murder people in Manitoba.' Earlier this week, Abram Silver, lawyer for the NDP, questioned Allard about social media posts in which he compared the two, which Silver alleged were clearly racist. 'Make sure to turn in any attic-hiding Jews, while you're at it,' Allard wrote in a reply posted on Facebook in late 2021 or early 2022 and later uploaded to Reddit. In court, Allard had said the comments were taken out of context and specifically compared the Nazi policy that encouraged citizens to turn in their Jewish neighbours to that of the Canadian government encouraging citizens to report public health violators during the pandemic. Allard said in court he does not think those comments trivialize the Holocaust, but elevate concern about official overreach. On Thursday, Cannon argued Rosner was not aware of those specific comments prior to when he helped write the news release. Rosner denied that. He suggested to Rosner he was reckless when he used the term 'racist rhetoric' — which the political staffer denied. Cannon has argued the news release was a political strategy motivated by malice to damage Allard's reputation and improve the NDP's standing in the byelection. In August 2022, Allard was fined $34,000 for repeatedly breaching public health orders in 2020 and 2021. He was a fixture at anti-lockdown rallies in the province. Ousted NDP MLA Mark Wasyliw briefly sat in the public gallery at Rosner's cross-examination Thursday morning. Wasyliw, a defence lawyer, sits as an independent in Fort Garry after being booted from the NDP caucus last fall. Erik PinderaReporter Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik. Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Amazon confirms hiring Xbox co-creator J Allard to lead new product invention team
Amazon's devices unit has established a new team, named ZeroOne, which is tasked with inventing 'breakthrough' consumer products, a report claims. This new team is reportedly being led by J Allard, a former Microsoft executive who contributed to the creation of the Xbox. The ZeroOne team, which is said to be focused on both hardware and software projects, aims to develop product ideas from conception to launch – a "zero to one" mission, as its name suggests. The team operates across Seattle, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale, California, according to recent job postings. An Amazon spokesperson has confirmed to CNBC that Allard is overseeing the ZeroOne team but didn't provide further details about the group's specific projects. Allard's LinkedIn profile also shows that he's working as the VP of the ZeroOne team since September 2024. What are the major achievements of Xbox co-creator J Allard Allard, who worked at Microsoft for 19 years and previously served as its technology chief of consumer products before departing in 2010, was an architect of the Xbox game console. He also worked on the Zune, Microsoft's portable media player. Allard joined Amazon in September and reports to Panos Panay, who also moved from Microsoft to Amazon in 2023 to head the devices and services group. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like A perfect start needs the perfect ride – Shine 125! Honda Learn More Undo What is Amazon's ZeroOne team and what it is working on As per the CNBC report, job postings for Amazon's ZeroOne unit revealed limited specifics about the team's projects. One of the listings mentions involvement in 'conceiving, designing, and bringing to market computer vision techniques for a new smart-home product,' the report noted. The description of ther job posting (as seen by CNBC) says: 'You'll be part of a team that embraces design thinking, rapid experimentation, and building to learn. If you're excited about working in small, nimble teams to create entirely new product categories and thrive in the ambiguity of breakthrough innovation, we want to talk to you.' According to LinkedIn profiles of ZeroOne employees, Amazon has brought in personnel from other divisions with backgrounds in developing technologies such as the Alexa voice assistant, Luna cloud gaming service, and Halo sleep tracker. The group is also being led in part by the former head of Lightform, a projection mapping startup acquired by Amazon. As Amazon expands certain parts of its devices division, such as the ZeroOne project, it is simultaneously scaling back others. Earlier this month, the company laid off around 100 employees across its devices and services group, affecting teams working on Alexa, Amazon Kids, and its hardware R&D arm, Lab126. More than 50 of those job cuts were at Lab126's Sunnyvale facilities, according to WARN filings. While Lab126 has been behind major successes like the Kindle and Echo, it has also produced flops such as the Fire Phone and Halo tracker. Amazon noted that the layoffs impacted only a small fraction of its devices and services workforce, which numbers in the tens of thousands.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Xbox cofounder joins Amazon to lead ZeroOne in an attempt to create ‘breakthrough' consumer products
Amazon is once again taking a shot at creating revolutionary consumer products—this time more seriously—with a new team called ZeroOne, led by J Allard, who helped create the Xbox game console. According to CNBC, Allard has been tasked with developing 'breakthrough' consumer products. The ZeroOne team is spread across Seattle, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale, California, and is focused on both hardware and software projects, based on multiple job postings. Listings for the ZeroOne team at Amazon include senior roles in applied science, product marketing, and customer insights. The description for the applied scientist role notes that the position will work on 'a new smart-home product,' while the product marketing role vaguely refers to work on 'an Amazon device.' Amazon has a mixed record when it comes to creating hardware products, with more misses than hits over the years. While the company has delivered knockout successes like the Kindle and Echo smart speakers, it has also produced flops such as the Fire Phone, the Halo fitness tracker, and the Astro household robot in recent years. The e-commerce giant has a separate devices unit responsible for creating hardware products such as Kindles, Fire TV Sticks, and Echo speakers. In fact, many of Amazon's successful devices have come from Lab126, the company's hardware research and development unit based in Silicon Valley. Two years ago, Amazon brought in Microsoft alum Panos Panay to lead its Devices & Services (D&S) business. Panay had been with Microsoft for over 19 years, serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, where he led the Windows + Devices division. During his time at Microsoft, he played a critical role in the development of Surface computers—Microsoft's answer to Apple's Mac. Panos's move to Amazon surprised many in Silicon Valley. He replaced Amazon's former hardware chief, Dave Limp, who became the CEO of Jeff Bezos' other company, the aerospace outfit Blue Origin. Under Panos, Amazon's only major new hardware releases have been the updated Kindle lineup announced last year, including a version with colour e-ink. Panos was the face of the product launch event, and earlier this year, he appeared again during the debut of the long-delayed Alexa Plus voice assistant. Today marks the anniversary of a gaming revolution! 🎮 On November 15, 2001, the original Xbox was released in the USA, bringing us iconic games like Halo and changing the landscape of console gaming forever. Here's to the console that dared to innovate and brought online gaming… — Nova's Nostalgia & Tech (@Nostalgia_Nova) November 15, 2024 Allard has joined Amazon after spending 19 years at Microsoft, where he was most recently the technology chief of consumer products—a role he left in 2010—at a time when the Seattle-based tech company desperately needed a new hit hardware product that could match the success of the Kindle. Allard was a key architect of the Xbox game console and also worked on Zune, a new type of MP3 player from Microsoft that ultimately failed to compete with Apple's iPod. Allard has experience in creating new hardware, though it remains to be seen what he will do next at Amazon. It's also unclear when a product from ZeroOne might actually be shipped to consumers. Allard's joining Amazon comes at a crucial time, as the company's devices unit has faced layoffs over the past few years. This year alone, Amazon laid off 100 employees from the devices unit. Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: ... Read More
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon Bets on ZeroOne for Next-Gen Gadgets
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) edged higher after unveiling ZeroOne, a dedicated group led by ex-Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) executive J. Allard to develop breakthrough consumer gadgets. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with AMZN. The Seattle-based teambacked by offices in San Francisco and Sunnyvalelaunched in September 2024 and aims to revive Amazon's hardware edge after mixed results with Kindle (over 200 million devices sold), Echo smart speakers (100 million units) and the ill-fated Fire Phone that bowed out after 12 months. Allard, the architect behind Xbox and Zune, will helm product strategy and R&D to fast-track next-gen experiences. ZeroOne follows Amazon's February AI-powered Alexa reveal and reflects the company's push to diversify revenue beyond retail and AWS. Investors should care because a successful hardware reset could unlock new high-margin revenue streams and deepen user lock-in across Amazon's ecosystem. With Amazon rumored to host a fall hardware event, markets will be watching ZeroOne's first prototypes and timeline for product rollouts. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
