Amazon

Why Amazon supports an online sales-tax bill

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:31:31 +0000

If you:

1. Live in a state that charges sales tax

and

2. Buy something from an online store that does not charge you sales tax,

then you are supposed to:

3. Calculate the sales tax yourself and add it onto your annual state tax bill.

Not surprisingly, as we reported last week, almost no one actually does this.

As online retailing has grown, sales tax has been a growing issue for state governments, which say b

Microsoft promises a 'major' announcement; What will it be?

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:16:30 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo

'Huge victory' - Amazon drops ALEC, will spend millions on AC

Ashley Gross and Jake Ellison — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:30:10 +0000

"Today we saw a huge victory..."

Michelle Wilson, a Senior Vice President at Amazon, told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting today in Seattle that Amazon would drop its support for the controversial group ALEC because the public policy organization had made decisions unrelated to Amazon’s business.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO, also told shareholders that the company would spend $52 million to add air-conditioning to its packaging facilities this year.

In a season of protests, Amazon prepares for annual meeting

Jake Ellison — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:48:42 +0000

With the Occupy Seattle protests having morphed into a movement targeting banks and companies that protesters believe do not live up to progressive ideals, the local protest movement self-dubbed “Working Washington” says it will be at Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting Thursday in force.

And, with continual protests focusing on its Seattle offices, as Seattle tech blog Geekwire reports, the company is warning protesters to stay off its property.

Greenpeace protests cloud servers at Amazon in Seattle

Jake Ellison — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:06:28 +0000

Calling attention to its recent study showing server farms, the basis for cloud computing, consume as much electricity as small cities, Greenpeace this morning put up a sign on Amazon's new building in Seattle:

"How green is your cloud?"

Melinda Gates, Jeff Bezos, Dr. Larry Corey elected to national academy

KPLU — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:30:43 +0000

Three Seattleites are among the 220 new members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this year: Melinda Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Dr. Larry Corey, president and director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Read more on Humanosphere.

On Amazon, an uneasy mix of plagiarism and erotica

NPR Staff — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:24:20 +0000

Unlike traditional publishing companies, self-publishing programs like Amazon's Kindle Select lack the keen eyes of publishers, leaving room for copyright violations — and plagiarism.

Sharazade is the pen name of a writer and editor who is a rising star on Amazon's erotica section.

"I do a lot of traveling, and most of my stories are travel-based in some way, either set in an exotic location or having to do with modes of transportation ...

Publishers and booksellers see a 'predatory' Amazon

Lynn Neary — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:09:40 +0000

Booksellers and publishers are worried that Amazon is going to devour their industry. The giant online retailer seems to have its hands in all aspects of the business, from publishing books to selling them — and that has some in the book world wondering if there is any end to Amazon's influence.

Publishers have a problem when it comes to discussing Amazon: They may fear its power, but they are also dependent on it, because like it or not, Amazon sells a lot of books.

A Merry Christmas for technology?

Dave Meyer and Mark Anderson — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson is predicting the technology sector will end the year on a relatively high note. But, as he tells KPLU's Dave Meyer on The Digital Future, he's worried about the first quarter of 2012.

Is Amazon.com sustainable?

Bellamy Pailthorp — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:44:02 +0000

Amazon.com has been thriving, despite the economic downturn. Shares in the company are now worth more than five times a much as they were five years ago, thanks in part to innovations such as its electronic book reader, the Kindle, or its move into data storage of all kinds of things "in the cloud."

But it's just these futuristic lines of business that have some shareholders worried.

The next monopoly?

Dave Meyer and Mark Anderson — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Microsoft is appealing a $1.3 billion fine from European antitrust regulators. But its antitrust worries in the United States appear to be over. The consent decree with the US Justice Department expired May 11^th. A lot has changed since Microsoft crushed Netscape in the browser wars of the 1990s. This month on The Digital Future, Strategic News Service publisher Mark Anderson says Microsoft has transformed itself into a much better corporate citizen.

Seattle celebrates Amazon.com's new headquarters in South Lake Union neighborhood

Bellamy Pailthorp — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:22 +0000

One of Seattle's most famous employers is moving. City leaders are celebrating…because online-retailing giant Amazon.com is only moving a few miles across town.

The new headquarters complex is large enough to house several thousand employees.

Amazon.com & Google facing suits for alleged patent infringement

Bellamy Pailthorp — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:56:32 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-957029.mp3

Technology that enables good results for searches on the Internet is at the heart of two patent lawsuits brought against online retailer Amazon.com and search-giant Google.

San Francisco-based MasterObjects has filed federal complaints against both companies, saying they're stealing its technology.

TED plunges into digital book market with Amazon

KPLU News Staff — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:51:16 +0000

The popular TED Talks series is sprouting a new arm: TED Books. Seattle-based Amazon began selling the short (10,000 to 20,000 word) digital books today. They are available on the Kindle platform.

The first three ebooks with the new imprint are based on materials from popular Talks series speakers: