Ben Fox Rubin

A day after Jeff Bezos downplayed Amazon’s power, it posts record profit

After Amazon warned of turbulent times ahead during the coronavirus and CEO Jeff Bezos downplayed the company’s leadership position before Congress on Wednesday, Amazon went ahead and posted massive gains in the second quarter. The company on Thursday reported a profit of $5.2 billion, or $10.30 per share — an all-time record — and double …

Read More »

Amazon now selling its in

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. An Amazon-designed face shield is now for sale on, you guessed it, Amazon.com. The e-retailer said Tuesday it’s already donated 60,000 of these face shields, developed by the company’s Prime Air drone mechanical engineers and hardware teams. An additional 150,000 more face shields …

Read More »

MacKenzie Scott, formerly Bezos, donates $1.7 billion to Black, LGBTQ and public health groups

MacKenzie Scott, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife and the world’s 13th richest person, said Tuesday she’s given away close to $1.7 billion since last year. She also said Tuesday she changed her last name from Bezos to Scott, her middle name. Scott last May, just before her divorce from Bezos was finalized, joined the Giving Pledge, an agreement among some of the …

Read More »

eBay to sell off its classified ads business for $9.2B

The biggest things selling on eBay lately are multibillion-dollar chunks of eBay’s own business. The e-commerce platform said Tuesday it’s selling its classified ads business for $9.2 billion in cash and stock to Adevinta, a fellow online retailer based in Norway. The deal comes as eBay has significantly slimmed down its operations over the years, which started with the spinoff …

Read More »

Amazon introduces Dash Cart, essentially an Amazon Go store on wheels

Amazon just reinvented the lowly shopping cart. The company on Tuesday unveiled the Amazon Dash Cart, which is infused with weight sensors and cameras that allow it to scan your items as you’re placing them in the cart so you can skip the checkout line.  The concept is kind of like a compact version of Amazon Go, a whole store …

Read More »

Amazon tightens warehouse storage rules to get ahead of holiday shipping rush

Months into the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon continues to struggle with plenty of problems, such as out-of-stock sanitizing wipes, price gouging, shipping delays and disrupted supply chains. Expecting challenges to continue through this unprecedented year, the e-commerce giant revealed new plans Monday to prepare its huge logistics network for its first holiday-shopping season during a global health crisis. The retailer will …

Read More »

Apple says the new MacOS Big Sur update is its biggest design change in almost 20 years

This story is part of WWDC 2022, CNET’s complete coverage from and about Apple’s annual developers conference. Apple on Monday introduced the new Big Sur version of its MacOS operating system for its laptops and desktops, with a big focus on updating the Safari web browser. The announcement came during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which for the first time took place …

Read More »

Amazon launches $2B investment fund focused on fighting carbon emissions

Amazon is kicking in $2 billion to support its broadening efforts to fight climate change. The online retailer on Tuesday said it’s started the new Climate Pledge Fund, a venture capital fund that’ll invest in companies that develop ways to reduce carbon emissions.  “Companies from around the world of all sizes and stages will be considered, from pre-product startups to …

Read More »

Three months into the pandemic, price gouging is still a real problem

We’re three months into the pandemic, but it’s still easy to find examples of price gouging on Amazon. Last Friday, within five minutes, CNET found Cottonelle toilet paper listed on Amazon for $57.42 (price for the same item on Target: $21.49), and a two-pack of 28-ounce jars of Rao’s marinara sauce for $29.04 (an adjacent listing of 24-ounce jars from …

Read More »

Amazon’s new Distance Assistant uses AI to encourage social distancing

Amazon said Tuesday it’s developed a new artificial intelligence system to help maintain social distancing in its warehouses, and it plans to share the underlying technology for free. Called Distance Assistant, the tech involves a 50-inch monitor, camera and laptop set up on a mount. The camera tracks how closely people are walking near each other, showing workers walking by …

Read More »