What Did Amazon Do This Week? [FREE ISSUE]
Grab your popcorn, a lot went down this week. Story count: +80
NOTE: WDADTW is moving to Beehiiv soon. No issue next week due to travel.
AMAZON BATONS DOWN HATCHES
Amazon is making strides to lessen the impact of tariff-related disruptions and competitive shifts across its business. As rising tensions around U.S.–China trade emerged, Amazon pushed vendors to raise prices and surveyed its sellers to gauge the impact of Trump-era tariffs. Guess what, no-one’s happy. Some sellers have already responded by hiking prices, consumers have responded by buying less snacks etc.
Beyond trade issues, Amazon continued going hell for leather in AI. There are conflicting reports that Amazon is expanding its AI data centre infrastructure, as some have reported the company is pausing or stoping lease commitments. Meanwhile, AWS announced a new availability zone in Maryland, reaffirming its AI and cloud growth strategy even while energy sourcing challenges grow. Amazon acknowledged this week that fossil fuels could still be used to power new server farms. So yay for greenwashing yet again. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Kuiper project (global broadband internet) got a new satellite launch date, although they are unlikely to make their deadlines.
SO WHAT?
Amazon is gambling on infrastructure dominance and content loyalty to weather economic headwinds, but its consumer business, marketplace integrity, and margins are under siege. By offloading tariff costs onto sellers and pushing for upstream price hikes, Amazon threatens its core advantage: low prices. Meanwhile, a surge of AI-generated junk is flooding its platform. If Amazon fails to curb fake, low-quality, and manipulative content, regulatory pressure, already mounting worldwide, will only intensify, damaging both revenue and reputation. Amazon’s current strategy risks alienating third-party sellers, the engine of marketplace growth. If costs keep rising, Amazon’s grip on consumer loyalty could weaken, stripping away the buffer that once protected it during downturns. A lot could unravel fast, leaving Amazon exposed and vulnerable. Grab the popcorn.
COMPANY ↓
CEO, board of directors, HQ, global offices, investor relations, annual reports, financial statements, legal, public policy, CSR, ESG, corporate culture, ethics, risk management, strategic partnerships, leadership, structure +
Amazon was told by U.S. labour prosecutors that it must negotiate with Teamsters union representatives. /Bloomberg
Amazon sponsored the White House Easter Egg Roll alongside other major brands. /Adweek 👀
CONTENT ↓
Prime Video, Amazon Studios, Music, Audible, Twitch, Goodreads, Prime Gaming, Appstore, Books, Wondary, Esports, MGM, Freevee, IMDb +
Amazon MGM Studios tapped Michael B. Jordan for a modern remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. /Yahoo News
Rumours of a Judge Dredd series with Karl Urban at Amazon were shut down as false. /Bleeding Cool
Amazon Music signed country stars Eric Church and John Fogerty for a NASCAR Prime Video special. /Variety
Amazon and IWOT Games partnered on a Wheel of Time video game adaptation. /Variety
Amazon announced a Hazbin Hotel spinoff Helluva Boss would debut on Prime Video. /Hollywood Reporter
TECHNOLOGY ↓
Alexa, Ads, FIRE TV, Echo, Kindle, A9, AWS, Just Walk Out, Silk, Rekognition, Eero, Ring, Pay, Amazon Air, Prime Air, Aurora, Redshift +
AWS made 58 announcements this week. /AWS
Amazon's Kuiper-1 internet satellites received a new April 28 launch date aboard an Atlas V rocket. /Space.com
Amazon was reportedly in talks with OpenAI to license Washington Post content for training models. /Variety
AWS announced plans for a new availability zone in Maryland to support U.S. East (N. Virginia) growth. /AWS
Nasdaq and AWS announced next-generation infrastructure solutions to modernise global capital markets. /Amazon Press
AWS demand for AI data centers surged as Amazon is fiercely competing with Microsoft. /Business Insider
Amazon pursued alternative strategies to overcome Nvidia GPU shortages, including custom silicon. /Business Insider
Virgin Atlantic entered talks with Starlink and Amazon Kuiper for in-flight Wi-Fi deals. /Bloomberg
Amazon and Nvidia said fossil fuels remain an option to power growing AI compute needs. /CNBC
Amazon paused some data centre lease commitments amid broader cost-cutting reviews. /CNBC
Strange AI-generated political books flooded Amazon’s marketplace ahead of the Canadian election. /Bloomberg
RETAIL ↓
Amazon.com, Marketplace, Amazon Prime, Amazon Go, Whole Foods, Fresh, Pantry, Souq, Treasure Truck, private label, PillPack, Pharmacy, Prime Now, BodyLabs, delivery, logistics +
Amazon launched a premium beauty storefront to compete more directly with retailers like Sephora and Ulta. /Retail Gazette
Amazon pressured vendors to raise prices in response to new tariffs. /WSJ
Amazon sellers increased prices across categories to cope with new tariffs. /Business Insider
Amazon's first-ever UK book sale sparked backlash from independent bookstores ahead of Independent Bookstore Day. /Fast Company
Amazon announced lower FBA fees for clothing, backpacks, and handbags to attract more sellers. /ChannelX
Amazon expanded its Buy with Prime ambitions globally by partnering with ecommerce platform Shopline. /Modern Retail
MISC ↓
Charity, warehouses, energy, scandals, space, profiles, industrial action, Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott +
A Bezos-backed startup launched an affordable US-made electric pickup truck. /Bloomberg
Amazon lobbied for tariff revisions amid changing U.S. trade policies. /The Information
LINKS ↓
POVs, data, nuggets, books, analysis, competitor info, industry info, reports, insights +
India facing increased pressure to give Amazon and Walmart greater market access as tariff tensions rose. /Reuters
Walmart-backed Flipkart announced it would shift headquarters back to India from Singapore. /Reuters
WD_DTW also covers OpenAI and now Google. Each offers exclusive intel, weekly deep dives, and critical analysis, saving you tons of time. Available in monthly and annual subscriptions, cancel anytime. Subscribe today; here for OpenAI and here for Google.
Was this forwarded to you? Want to get it every week? Subscribe ↓