Amazon’s Most Beloved Features May Turn Out to Be Illegal
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Published 2023-10-02
Karen Weise, a technology correspondent for The Times, explains why those features may actually be illegal.
Guest: Karen Weise (www.nytimes.com/by/karen-weise) , a technology correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading:
• The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states have sued Amazon (www.nytimes.com/2023/09/26/technology/ftc-amazon.h…) , saying its conduct in its online store and services to merchants illegally stifled competition.
• The F.T.C. says there are two main tactics that Amazon used to undermine competition. (www.nytimes.com/2023/09/26/technology/amazon-ftc-l…) The company says it will contest the lawsuit.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
All Comments (12)
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For me, the single biggest issue with Amazon is bias of the search results to Amazon-promoted products and “frequently bought brands,” which is a feedback loop. Also, product descriptions often omit important details or are outright in error.
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Listening from DLI6 in Hazelwood. Let's shut this place down. Low costs come at the expense of driver safety.
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My opinion - They do things with themselves (Jeff Bezos) & their profits in mind - not consumers, not sellers, not workers at their warehouses or delivery people, & who knows who else. When you own the market you own the people. I’m not interested in being owned. If they do not let sellers sell at lower prices elsewhere, they bully them into dealing with Amazon exclusively & that means nobody can compete with Amazon. Amazon makes nothing, nothing but profits for Amazon. I look with fear upon them taking over grocery stores which they’ve already started to do. When they own everything & have created an addiction to their company, they can then control prices & they will not keep them low when that day arrives. Greed never has limits. My opinion …
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this sounds much more solid than the last few anti-corporate spiels that have come from the ftc and the new chairwoman Lina Khan
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Yes, broken the law for 10-15 years without anyone stopping them 🙄
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The reusable balloons - look long-term. By not getting those you are creating LESS WASTE; in the end, much of the products purchased end up in landfill. Landfill debris often gets washed out to sea. Reusable water balloons are just as bad (if not worse) for marine life.
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My take away is that Amazon provides wonderful value that their customers love, so let's get rid of those services because the woman being interviewed can't limit her spending? Because Amazon's ultra-fast shipping is in some nefarious way? This is a case of whining competitors influencing the federal governmemnt to eliminate their successful competition. How many of the progressives in the room use Prime and secretly love it? It has become a thing to dump on Bezos snd Amazon, but that's just nuts. The creation of Amazon, arguably the most brilliant, successful, and popular innovations in the last 150 years of American history, deserves immense rewards. He says that, since has has retired, he's crreated a team to make Amazon the best employer. Whether he can do this, time will tell.
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Who What Where When Why How "t e m u"???
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All I am hearing are possibilities and how Amazon is shooting themselves in the foot. No wonder they are shifting to web services, because its tough to manage logistics and transportation. I also find it distasteful at how crappy journalism this does, amplifying whining itches instead of playing up the opportunities.
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It sounds like Amazon is looking out for the consumer. I want my products fast. If you don't buy products shipped by them, it can take weeks to get your products.
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Omg! What bs trying to be a conspiracy theory. Waste of my time listening.
