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> Amazon is even more rapacious, In what way? It seems a bit like stone throwing to immediately toss another company into the conversation without providing so

> Amazon is even more rapacious, In what way? It seems a bit like stone throwing to immediately toss another company into the conversation without providing some anecdote.

danielheath 6y ago
I mean, at a minimum, their habit of using customer data from their platform businesses to inform development of their own competing products is pretty sketchy.
- notyourwork 6y ago
  Any store that uses a rewards, loyalty card or phone number when you checkout does the same. I'm not sure why Amazon is the bad guy when grocery stores have been distributing private brands of mainstream products and shopper loyalty has been used to optimize revenue streams. Amazon does it on a bigger scale, not sure the scale makes it right or wrong though.
  - wpietri 6y ago
    Your theory is that if other large companies do something, it must be morally acceptable? Even if that's true, which I'm not persuaded of, Amazon's enormous market power makes a big difference. As a consumer, I don't want Amazon to "optimize revenue streams" when that reduces the reward to market participants to be innovative and deliver high quality.
    - jhowell 6y ago
      > Your theory is that if other large companies do something, it must be morally acceptable You left something out, "as long as it doesn't effect me (yet), and large companies do it, it must be morally acceptable." I don't know why we defend them. Without Google we still go on. Without us, or support for their practices, they dramatically change or they disappear.
      - robertlagrant 6y ago
        To be fair, these are generally the companies that have got us through the pandemic relatively unscathed.
        jsinai 6y ago
        From GP: <Without Google we still go on.>
    - bloomark 6y ago
      > Your theory is that if other large companies do something, it must be morally acceptable? Why did your comment single out Amazon and not the practice of 'immorally' tracking customers?
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  That's SOP in retail though. Walmart/Target/Home Depot/Best Buy/Whole Wallet, knows exactly what sells and use that to inform their own brands. And they kind of need to be tracking and analyzing those things in order to do their job.
- namdnay 6y ago
  From their marketplace business, not their platform business
wpietri 6y ago
One pretty obvious way is how they treat workers. Despite being a customer for more than 20 years, this year I canceled my Amazon Prime membership and now avoid using them. If you're unfamiliar, you can find an ocean of material by googling "Amazon labor exploitation".

> Amazon is even more rapacious, In what way? It seems a bit like stone throwing to immediately toss another company into the conversation without providing some anecdote.

danielheath 6y ago

I mean, at a minimum, their habit of using customer data from their platform businesses to inform development of their own competing products is pretty sketchy.

notyourwork 6y ago
Any store that uses a rewards, loyalty card or phone number when you checkout does the same. I'm not sure why Amazon is the bad guy when grocery stores have been distributing private brands of mainstream products and shopper loyalty has been used to optimize revenue streams. Amazon does it on a bigger scale, not sure the scale makes it right or wrong though.
- wpietri 6y ago
  Your theory is that if other large companies do something, it must be morally acceptable? Even if that's true, which I'm not persuaded of, Amazon's enormous market power makes a big difference. As a consumer, I don't want Amazon to "optimize revenue streams" when that reduces the reward to market participants to be innovative and deliver high quality.
  - jhowell 6y ago
    > Your theory is that if other large companies do something, it must be morally acceptable You left something out, "as long as it doesn't effect me (yet), and large companies do it, it must be morally acceptable." I don't know why we defend them. Without Google we still go on. Without us, or support for their practices, they dramatically change or they disappear.
    - robertlagrant 6y ago
      To be fair, these are generally the companies that have got us through the pandemic relatively unscathed.
      - jsinai 6y ago
        From GP: <Without Google we still go on.>
  - bloomark 6y ago
    > Your theory is that if other large companies do something, it must be morally acceptable? Why did your comment single out Amazon and not the practice of 'immorally' tracking customers?
throwaway0a5e 6y ago
That's SOP in retail though. Walmart/Target/Home Depot/Best Buy/Whole Wallet, knows exactly what sells and use that to inform their own brands. And they kind of need to be tracking and analyzing those things in order to do their job.
namdnay 6y ago
From their marketplace business, not their platform business

wpietri 6y ago

One pretty obvious way is how they treat workers. Despite being a customer for more than 20 years, this year I canceled my Amazon Prime membership and now avoid using them. If you're unfamiliar, you can find an ocean of material by googling "Amazon labor exploitation".