Amazon, Walmart, and other companies are using artificial intelligence “to decide whether it makes economic sense to process a return,” reports the Wall Street Journal: For inexpensive items or large ones that would incur hefty shipping fees, it is often cheaper to refund the purchase price and let customers keep the products. The relatively new approach, popularized by Amazon and a…
Tag: Amazon
Trump Also Suspended from Snapchat and Twitch, Faces Content Restrictions on Pinterest and…TikTok?
Today MSN published an article listing “Every social media platform Donald Trump is banned from using (so far).” Some excerpts: – Trump was suspended from Snapchat amid the riots on January 6, a spokesperson confirmed to The Hill… – On January 7, Twitch, the Amazon-owned video live-streaming platform made popular by gamers, disabled Trump’s account indefinitely… – Though Trump does not…
Parler Booted Off Amazon’s AWS Hosting Service, Suspended by Apple
“Apple has suspended Parler until the makers of the app solve its content moderation challenges,” reports Forbes, citing a statement from Apple saying “there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity. Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats…” Meanwhile, BuzzFeed News reports: Amazon notified Parler that it would be…
Tesla Passes Facebook To Become Fifth Most Valuable US Company
Electric vehicle maker Tesla surpassed Facebook by market capitalization after markets opened Friday. From a report: Tesla’s stock jumped about 5.5% at 9:03 a.m. ET to give it a market cap of $802.6 billion, while Facebook stock dipped. Facebook now has a market cap of about $755.8 billion. The jump makes Elon Musk’s automotive venture the fifth biggest company in the…
US Says India, Italy, and Turkey Digital Taxes Are Discriminatory, But Won’t Take Any Actions For Now
Digital services taxes adopted by India, Italy, and Turkey in recent years discriminate against U.S. companies, the U.S. Trade Representative said on Wednesday. From a report: USTR, which began investigations into the three nation’s digital services taxes in June last year, said it found them to be inconsistent with international tax principles, unreasonable, and burdening or restricting U.S. commerce. In its…
Amazon Pledges $2 Billion To Affordable Housing
Amazon will direct $2 billion in loans and grants to secure affordable housing near three American cities where the company employs thousands of workers, the tech giant announced Wednesday. The Seattle Times reports: In a first step in the Puget Sound region, Amazon is promising $185.5 million, mostly in loans, to the King County Housing Authority to help buy affordable apartments…
Amazon Makes First Aircraft Purchase to Expand Cargo Network
Amazon.com is buying 11 used Boeing 767-300 planes, the first time the online retail giant has purchased, rather than leased, aircraft for its fast-growing air cargo operation. From a report: The company on Tuesday said it was buying seven aircraft from Delta Air Lines and four from WestJet Airlines. The WestJet aircraft are currently being converted from passenger to cargo use…
Discovery+ Launches Today
Discovery+, the new streaming channel from Discovery, is officially available in the U.S.. “The list of places where you can download Discovery+ is extensive, with almost every popular platform but the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 included in the company’s launch slate,” reports Engadget. From the report: Most notably, you can access the app through Amazon Fire TV streaming devices and…
Haven, the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan Venture To Disrupt Healthcare, is Disbanding After 3 Years
Haven, the joint venture formed by three of America’s most powerful companies to lower costs and improve outcomes in health care, is disbanding after three years, CNBC has learned exclusively. From a report: The company began informing employees Monday that it will shut down by the end of next month, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. Many of…
71-Year-Old Slashdot Reader Describes His ‘Moderate’ Case of Covid
71-year-old Hugh Pickens (Slashdot reader #49,171) is a physicist who explored for oil in the Amazon jungle, commissioned microwave communications systems in Saudi Arabia, and built satellite control stations for Goddard Space Flight Center around the world including Australia, Antarctica, and Guam. After retiring in 1999, he wrote over 1,400 Slashdot posts, and in the site’s 23-year history still remains one…