Latest news with #non-Amazon
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Amazon hid documents calling Jeff Bezos ‘Chief Dark Arts Officer' and ‘Shady' Prime tactics, US FTC claims
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused Amazon of attempting to hide incriminating evidence in the antitrust suit , a report claims. The FTC states that Amazon systematically filed misleading privilege claims for the same. After a federal judge ordered a re-review, Amazon reportedly withdrew 92% of its privilege claims and produced nearly 70,000 documents that were previously shielded. A significant portion of these, around 58,000 documents, were initially fully withheld from the court, the report adds. For instance, in one document, the current CEO of Amazon's retail business described '(Prime) subscription driving' as 'a bit of a shady world.' In that context, this CEO reportedly referred to Amazon founder (former CEO) Jeff Bezos as Amazon's 'chief dark arts officer,' according to the FTC. During an in-camera review of nine withheld documents, the court found only a single sentence was privileged, according to the FTC. The FTC asserts that the documents were withheld for reasons unrelated to privilege, containing 'probative, inculpatory, and entirely nonprivileged statements,' a report by the Courthouse News Service noted. 'In essence, Amazon's privilege log — on which the FTC has relied throughout discovery — was almost entirely wrong. It is impossible to square a 92% error rate across tens of thousands of documents with a mere mistake,' FTC wrote in the motion (as seen by the Courthouse News Service). What Amazon said about the executive's remarks on Jeff Bezos and Prime subscription by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo An Amazon spokesperson stated that the comment originated from notes taken during 'a much longer conversation that included discussion about non-Amazon subscription programs.' 'The way Amazon drives Prime subscribers is by making the service useful and valuable. It is correct that an element of driving that value is an art rather than a science,' the spokesperson said. FTC cited these internal documents to allege that involuntary Prime enrollments were so common by 2018 that Amazon created a clearer sign‑up page for shoppers prone to accidentally subscribing. Federal regulators accuse the company of deliberately withholding nonprivileged documents, as the redactions reveal that Amazon's attorneys reviewed and consciously chose to block these materials. In September 2023, the FTC and the attorneys general of 17 US states (later joined by Vermont and Puerto Rico) sued Amazon, alleging that the company used deceptive practices in its Prime subscription program, raised prices, manipulated search results to favour paid ads and its products and overcharged third‑party sellers to strengthen its market dominance. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Independent
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Jeff Bezos is set to sell nearly $5 billion worth of Amazon stock amid Trump's tariffs
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos plans to sell company stock worth up to about $4.8 billion over the next year as the tech giant grapples with the impact of Trump administration tariffs. Bezos adopted what's known as a 10b5-1 trading plan in March, entitling him to sell up to 25,000,000 shares of Amazon through May 2026, according to an Amazon financial disclosure to federal regulators. The tech billionaire, who stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021 but remains the company's executive chair and top shareholder, took a similar step last February to offload $8.5 billion in Amazon stock. The cash could go to support Bezos' non-Amazon pursuits, including his multi-billion-dollar climate philanthropy and Blue Origin, his space venture. The potential sell-off comes at a complex moment for Amazon as it attempts to navigate the new presidential administration and its on-again, off-again trade policies. While the company's first-quarter financial results on Thursday showed a 9 percent year-over-year net sales increase and a $3.1 billion increase in operating income, they also noted 'recessionary fears' and uncertainty over 'tariff and trade policies.' 'Obviously, none of us knows exactly where tariffs will settle or when,' Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy said on a recent investor call, The New York Times reports. The company is 'maniacally focused' on keeping prices down and stocking up on extra inventory as a bulwark against the tariffs, Jassy added. These preparations have put Amazon and Bezos in the crosshairs of the White House. The Trump administration slammed the company earlier this week after reports Amazon was considering including information showing how tariffs were increasing prices on certain products. 'This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,' Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. 'Why didn't Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?' Amazon later said such a disclaimer was 'never approved and is not going to happen,' and Donald Trump claimed Bezos himself helped resolve the issue. Trump has frequently attacked Bezos in the past over issues including the billionaire's ownership of The Washington Post and Amazon's relationship with the U.S. Postal Service. As Trump prepared to return to the White House, however, Bezos has sought closer ties, giving Trump's inaugural fund $1 million and attending Trump's inauguration.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon to retire its Android app store
Changes are on the horizon for Android devices later this year. Amazon has announced that starting August 20, it will discontinue its app store for Android devices. Additionally, Amazon will end its Coins digital currency, which users have been using to purchase games and apps from the store. The changes were noted in a support document for developers. In the note, the company says: 'Starting August 20, 2025, you will no longer have access to the Amazon Appstore on your Android device. We will also be discontinuing the Amazon Coins program on August 20, 2025.' In making the announcement, Amazon said any coins not redeemed by August would be refunded. The changes only affect users on non-Amazon devices. The store will remain functional on Amazon's Fire TV and Fire Tablet products. After the August deadline, users can no longer download or use apps from the store on Android. According to a company spokesperson: 'We've decided to discontinue the Amazon Appstore on Android to focus our efforts on the Appstore experience on our own devices, as that's where the overwhelming majority of our customers currently engage with it.' Every Android device user is familiar with the Google Play Store, the most popular Android app store. However, third-party app stores are also available due to the platform's open nature. The decision to shut down the Amazon AppStore on Android is likely due to low use. This isn't the first time Amazon has discontinued its app store on non-Amazon devices. Last year, it pulled the store on Windows, which launched in 2021.
