Poi amazon

SILICONE VALLEY: Amazon on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) unveiled plans to launch a health care service to employers across the United States, including telemedicine and home care visits, opening up a new market for the tech giant that has increasingly woven its way into the lives of consumers. The initiative will make Amazon Care, which so far had been offered to a limited number of the company’s own employees, available to “millions” of people through their jobs, it announced in a blog post. “By supplying Amazon Care as a workplace benefit, employers are investing in the health and well-being of arguably their most important asset: their employees,” the company said. Amazon Care, which has been tested since 2018 with some company employees in Washington state, includes a mobile app that will allow people to connect with medical professionals by video or chat “typically in less than 60 seconds.” A second element of the service available in some areas will involve in-person ... » Learn More about Amazon to expand health care service

SILICON VALLEY: Pandemic-driven lifestyle changes that have put the internet at the center of seemingly everything proved a financial boon for Amazon and Google in the final three months of last year. Google-parent Alphabet and the Seattle-based e-commerce colossus reported large earnings Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) on thriving internet advertising and the booming market for online shopping. “We are proud that people continue to choose Google’s products to stay informed connected and comforted during uncertain times,” chief executive Sundar Pichai said on an earnings call with analysts. Alphabet said its quarterly profit rocketed some 50 percent to $15.2 billion at the end of last year as its digital ad business thrived. Alphabet revenue in the final three months of last year hit nearly $57 billion, compared with $46 billion in the same period in 2019, according to the internet titan. The strong quarter “was driven by Search and YouTube, as consumer and business activity ... » Learn More about Pandemic gives Google, Amazon big profit

NEW YORK: In 1995, few could imagine that the modest online bookstore built by Jeff Bezos would turn into a $1.7 trillion behemoth that sells everything from diapers to sofas, produces movies, owns a grocery chain and provides cloud computing services to businesses all over the globe. Amazon has become all of that and more, and now it will be up to Andy Jassy to lead the company forward as CEO. On Tuesday, Amazon announced that Bezos would step aside this summer and assume the role of executive chairman so he can focus on new products and early initiatives being developed at Amazon. Although Bezos is expected to still play a big role at the company, it is Jassy who will inherit the many challenges born from Amazon’s meteoric rise. Here are some of them: Tech giants for decades have enjoyed light-touch regulation and star status in Washington, but calls for greater scrutiny have been growing. The U.S. government has already slapped two Big Tech companies — Google and Facebook — ... » Learn More about 5 daunting tasks await new Amazon CEO

NEW YORK: New York state sued Amazon Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), claiming the e-commerce giant failed to adequately protect its warehouse workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and then punished them if they complained. The move comes days after Amazon filed its own legal action seeking to block New York Attorney General Letitia James from taking steps to enforce federal workplace safety regulations. Wednesday’s lawsuit in state court stems from an investigation begun in March 2020 following complaints about employee safety in Amazon facilities as the company ramped up operations to meet demands of locked-down consumers. “While Amazon and its CEO made billions during this crisis, hardworking employees were forced to endure unsafe conditions and were retaliated against for rightfully voicing these concerns,” James said in a statement. “Since the pandemic began, it is clear that Amazon has valued profit over people and has failed to ensure the health and safety of its workers.” ... » Learn More about NY sues Amazon over coronavirus safety

NEW DELHI: India's antitrust body on Friday told a court that a Reuters report showing Amazon.com Inc gave preferential treatment to a small group of sellers on its India platform corroborated evidence it had received and which had triggered an investigation of the U.S. e-commerce giant. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) announced in January 2020 that it was investigating Amazon and Walmart Inc's Flipkart following a complaint from a trader group that they were promoting preferred sellers. But the probe into alleged violations of competition law was put on hold as the two firms mounted a court challenge. While arguing on Friday for restarting the probe, Madhavi Goradia Divan, an Additional Solicitor General of India representing the CCI, read parts of the Reuters report to the judge in the Karnataka High Court, saying it "corroborates what was said" in the original complaint. The Reuters story, which was published last month, was based on internal Amazon documents ... » Learn More about India antitrust body says Reuters story corroborates evidence in probe of Amazon

REUTERS: Although Emily Stone's employment at an Amazon.com Inc warehouse ended on Feb. 1, she still received a ballot for her former company's union election in the weeks following her departure and a text asking her to vote no. The union "will make a lot of promises, but have they delivered on those promises?" read another text alert she got from the Bessemer, Alabama warehouse's management, seen by Reuters. She recalled thinking, "I can't figure out how to get them to stop sending me messages." Stone, 25, said she decided against returning the ballot because she no longer worked for Amazon. The company had declined to extend her paid leave after she contracted COVID-19 in November, which sent her to the hospital, she said. She is not alone. Reuters spoke or texted with 19 people Amazon listed to receive a ballot for the election even though they now no longer work at the company. At least two of them already voted, they told Reuters. Election terms, however, stipulate ... » Learn More about In Amazon union election, votes cast by some ineligible ex-employees could swing outcome

REUTERS: U.S. solar panel maker SunPower Corp said on Thursday Chief Executive Tom Werner will retire after 18 years with the company, and will be succeeded by former Amazon.com Inc executive Peter Faricy. Shares of the company were down 3.2per cent at US$29.70 in early trading. Under Werner's tenure as CEO, SunPower went public in 2005, sold a majority stake to French energy firm Total SE in 2011, and completed the spin-off of solar energy solutions company Maxeon Solar Technologies last August. Total has a stake of 51.5per cent in SunPower, according to Refinitiv. Faricy, 54, most recently served as CEO of global media company Discovery Inc from September 2018 to August 2020. Earlier, he spent 13 years at Amazon.com, lastly as vice president leading the e-retail giant's marketplace. While Faricy will begin his new role on April 19, Werner will discuss the company's fiscal performance during its first quarter 2021 earnings conference call, the company said. Werner ... » Learn More about SunPower CEO to retire, former Amazon executive named top boss

OAKLAND (NYTIMES) - Google tried to copy Amazon's playbook to become the shopping hub of the Internet, with little success. Now it is trying something different: the anti-Amazon strategy. Google is trying to present itself as a cheaper and less restrictive option for independent sellers. And it is focused on driving traffic to sellers' sites, not selling its own version of products as Amazon does. In the last year, Google eliminated fees for merchants and allowed sellers to list their wares in its search results for free. It is also trying to make it easier for small, independent shops to upload their inventory of products to appear in search results and buy ads on Google by teaming up with Shopify, which powers online stores for 1.7 million merchants who sell directly to consumers. But like Google's many attempts during its two-decade quest to compete with Amazon, this one shows little sign of working. Google has nothing as alluring as the US$295 billion (S$397 billion) that ... » Learn More about Google aims to be the anti-Amazon of e-commerce but it has a long way to go.

BIRMINGHAM: Poor and conservative, the state of Alabama seemed like the perfect place for companies to do business without having to deal with labor unions. That is, until a handful of Amazon employees stood up to the world’s richest person and demanded representation at the bargaining table. It comes to a head this week: Monday is the deadline for employees at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama to vote on establishing the first union on US soil at the massive tech company. The case is being closely watched because it could pave the way for further unionization in the United States at one of the world’s most powerful companies. Bernie Sanders, the independent senator and progressive darling, said here Friday during a visit to endorse the unionization drive that he was very encouraged by it. “This is historically a very anti-union state. That’s why I am incredibly moved and impressed by courage of these workers,” Sanders said Friday outside the regional headquarters of the ... » Learn More about Amazon’s first union could be in Alabama

DUESSELDORF: U.S. e-commerce group Amazon on Monday said deliveries were unaffected by strikes at six of its sites in Germany. Trade union Verdi had called for workers to go on strike from Sunday evening for four days in the latest attempt to try to force Amazon to recognise collective bargaining agreements. A spokesman for Amazon said more than 90per cent of staff at its German logistics sites were working as usual, adding employees were enjoying "excellent wages, excellent additional benefits and excellent career prospects". Amazon has faced a long-running battle with unions in Germany, its biggest market after the United States, over better pay and conditions for logistics workers, who have frequently staged strikes since 2013. (Reporting by Matthias Inverardi; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Caroline Copley) ... » Learn More about Amazon says deliveries unaffected by strikes in Germany