Amazon

Days After an Array of New Amazon Devices Debut, A Devices VP is Leaving the Company

October 9, 2025 by Ted Leave a Comment

*Panos Panay presenting at the Amazon product launch in New York City on September 30, 2025 [Click to enlarge]*

Just days after Amazon put on its glitzy annual devices and services showcase for the media in New York City, employees were surprised to learn that a Vice President who helps oversee the devices division is leaving the company. In an internal memo circulated to employees, and viewed by Reuters News Agency, it was announced that Rob Williams, Vice President of Device Software and Services – and part of a small elite group of executives with direct access to CEO Andy Jassy known as the S-team – stepped down from his post…and furthermore, will leave the company entirely at year-end.

See more on the turmoil in Amazon’s money-losing devices division…

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2024: After a Bit of a Pause, Tech Industry Layoffs Resume

January 18, 2024 by Ted Leave a Comment

Google's booth at CES 2024 showed no sign of impending layoffs — *This shows Google’s presence at CES 2024. The company announced last week that it will lay off 1,000 employees [Click to enlarge] [PHOTO: Reuters/Steve Marcus]*

It is January 18, 2024, just a little more than two weeks into the new year, and so far Tech businesses have laid off at least 7,785 employees at 58 companies, according to the tracking website Layoffs.fyi. While the number of layoffs per company appears to be moderating some as compared to last year’s crazy post-COVID downward adjustment frenzy, the stream of companies laying off staff appears unrelenting.

See more on 2024 Tech layoffs

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Tech Guru Panos Panay Resigns from Sonos Board; Co. Intros ‘New’ Execs

October 5, 2023 by Ted Leave a Comment

Last week, Sonos quietly let the Securities and Exchange Commission know that Panos Panay resigned from the Sonos board of directors, effective September 27, 2023. They made no public announcement that I am aware of, even though this news could have a major impact on the company’s direction. Why? Simply because Panos Panay is one of the most respected technology product gurus in the industry – so much so that Sonos trumpeted his arrival loudly when they convinced him to join their board in 2020.

Separately, and within just days of the exit of Panay, the company announced three “new” (I’ll explain the quotes around the word new below) additions to its executive team, including a new, promoted from within, Chief Product Officer…

See more about the departure of Panay from the Sonos board, and its new additions

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These 4 Charts Clearly Reveal the Challenges of Big Tech

February 14, 2023 by Ted Leave a Comment

Australian store of Apple, part of Big Tech — *An Apple store in Australia [Photo: REUTERS/David Gray]*

After years of driving the economy, Big Tech has suddenly hit a rough road. By now you’ve likely heard about layoffs in tech…lots and lots of layoffs. According to Layoffs.fyi, as of this writing, more than 104,000 tech jobs have been lost in just the first six weeks of 2023. But what is behind the struggles of these Big Tech players?

See four charts that explain what’s happening to Big Tech

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Tech Takes a Turn…Downward

January 19, 2023 by Ted Leave a Comment

*Photo: Jovelle Tamayo for The New York Times*

After several years of dizzying growth, the technology sector is now experiencing a notable downturn, as the post-COVID era has brought a combination of higher prices (inflation) and lower demand. In response, 2022 saw significant job cuts at major Big Tech brands that have continued on into 2023. That includes this Wednesday when Microsoft announced it was cutting 10,000 jobs – after a 1,000 job cut in October 2022 – another big blow to Tech.

But what about the more specific segments like consumer electronics and custom integration?

See the latest on tech taking a turn downward…

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Amazon Alexa and Devices Division On Pace to Lose $10B; Div. in Crisis Mode

December 1, 2022 by Ted 6 Comments

Photo from Amazon Keynote — *Charlie Kindel, then with Amazon, pitches Alexa and tells integrators that Amazon wants to work with them at CEDIA Expo 2016*

This has to rank up there with one of the most spectacular product failures in tech history. According to leaked documents acquired by Insider, Amazon’s “Worldwide Digital” unit – the unit that includes Echo smart speakers, Alexa voice technology, and Prime Video streaming – lost over $3 billion in just the first quarter of this year. It is on pace to lose $10 billion for the year and the company has announced its largest layoffs ever – cutting more than 10,000 jobs…many targeted to hit this division specifically…as Amazon reorients their business strategy.

See the latest news on the failing Amazon Alexa business

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Teardown Analysis Shows Amazon is Cheapening Its Base Echo Model

August 24, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

In a new and interesting teardown analysis that included a cost of production comparison between the previous and the newest version of Amazon’s Echo, it appears that the company is making dramatic changes to lower the cost of their basic Echo model. Even though cost has been cut by more than half, the report says that the company still often sells it at a loss.

See more on the cheapening of the Amazon Echo

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Tech Takes a Trillion-Dollar Thumping

May 11, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

We’re ‘…Experiencing a Seismic Shift’ Says Uber CEO

More and more evidence continues to emerge suggesting that the economy is undergoing a fundamental shift, a turn if you will, that will at least slow economic growth – and may lead to recession. Perhaps the clearest indicator of that is the turn taken by tech, which has lost a trillion dollars in value in just three days of trading on the stock market. For the last two-plus years, tech was the driving force behind a dramatic economic expansion during the pandemic. What is happening now?

See more on what is happening with Tech

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Amazon Retreats: Will Close 68 Brick & Mortar Stores in U.S. and U.K.

March 3, 2022 by Ted Leave a Comment

Company Exiting Bookstores, 4-Star Stores, and Pop-Up Stores

Yesterday Amazon announced it will close all of its non-grocery bricks and mortar locations, ending its foray into physical store locations. The company had previously entered the physical bookstore business – a business that many feel its online business destroyed – as well as pop-up stores and its 4-star shops that carried a selection of its best-selling online products. However, the company will keep its grocery stores and a department store concept.

See more on Amazon exiting bricks & mortar retail stores

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Leaked Internal Amazon Docs Show Users Quickly Tire of Smart Speakers

January 27, 2022 by Ted 3 Comments

End of the Smart Speaker Era?

Amazon is widely credited with having created the entire smart speaker category with their Alexa voice-controlled Echo smart speaker and other products. The company has sold millions of them since their introduction in 2015, especially at often insane sale prices during the holiday selling season. But Bloomberg Businessweek has come into possession of leaked internal Amazon documents that paint a portrait of a category that appears to be in serious trouble, principally because it fails – often miserably – to retain consumer interest.

And, the documents show, not only do consumers lose their interest…they lose it quickly.

See more on smart speaker problems identified in Amazon internal docs

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Amazon

Days After an Array of New Amazon Devices Debut, A Devices VP is Leaving the Company

See more on the turmoil in Amazon’s money-losing devices division…