Amazon’s strategy to generate revenue from its Alexa-enabled devices has reportedly fallen short, resulting in significant losses for the company. From 2017 to 2021, Amazon lost over $25 billion on products like Echo and Kindle, as revealed by internal documents and sources familiar with the situation, according to the Wall Street Journal. Although Amazon has attracted hundreds of millions of customers to its devices, usage of the Alexa-powered Echo speakers appears to be predominantly for basic functions such as setting alarms, rather than for shopping on Amazon.
A former senior employee expressed concerns about the company’s focus, stating, “We worried we’ve hired 10,000 people and we’ve built a smart timer.”
In response to these challenges, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is reportedly seeking solutions, including the introduction of a paid tier for Alexa. However, some engineers involved with this new version of Alexa are skeptical about its potential impact.
In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to providing value beyond mere device sales, noting that the Devices & Services division has cultivated several profitable ventures and is well-positioned for future success.
Meanwhile, Amazon’s new AI-enhanced version of Alexa, which was showcased in September, is reportedly not ready for deployment. Former employees indicated that the company lacks sufficient data and access to the necessary chips for the large language model powering the upgraded assistant. Additionally, Amazon has chosen to prioritize the development of generative AI for its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, over advancements in Alexa.
Amazon has refuted claims made by former employees, stating they are misinformed about the progress of its AI initiatives. The company maintains that the Amazon Artificial General Intelligence team has access to both its proprietary Trainium chips and Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs), reaffirming its goal to develop the best personal assistant in the world.