The vortex pairing the voracious consumer swimming in the shallows of instant gratification, and vast and meticulous mechanism of a seemingly endless supply chain and reliable delivery logistics, has reached an impressive and disconcerting threshold.
The Seattle based online retailer, which has completely reinvented the shopping experience in evolving as the dominant global authority for widely distributing goods, software and music, would rank in the top 30 of national global economies, the BBC reports, as the corporation recently passed the staggering $1 trillion mark in market valuation.
With stock prices selling for nearly $2,013 per share, and owner Jeff Bezos worth an alleged $160 billion, there is a lot to be happy about at the South Lake Union corporate headquarters situated beneath the skies inhabited by seaplanes and the egos of megalomaniac city council members, but shoppers and competitors must take the news in stride, as the boundless growth of the company approaches monopoly status, and the possible onset of bureaucratic tendencies. The behemoth of the public entity which rivals a galaxy of infrastructure, boasts a massive fleet of ground and air support transport in fulfilling the ceaseless daily transactions of buyers and sellers, as well as experimental programs bordering on the intriguing and controversial.
While the company has invested hundreds of millions in the implementation of drones as the supply chain of the future, Amazon opened up a fully automated marketplace in downtown Seattle, and launched a trial program giving contract couriers direct access to homes and vehicles. The latter arm of retail syndicate has earned well-deserved criticism, as experts cite security and privacy concerns in literally giving delivery personnel the keys to a customer’s castle. There is also an epidemic of counterfeit products being sold on the digital storefront, merchandise meticulously reverse engineered by the Chinese and manufacture almost to the exact standards of the real thing. With the shear amount of resources available to the corporation in financial and legal assistance, and the infamous digital paradox of “Terms and Conditions” for end users, what possible chance does an individual stand, in attempting navigate the court system and file against a consumer claim against Amazon?
Of course the notion of “We do it because we can!” (Bezos owns the Washington Post) permeates throughout the entire tech empire as CEO’s in the $10 billion club attempt to dictate public policy and forward a one-sided agenda on customers representing the entire political spectrum. The short-sited perspective beckoning a plethora of hypocrisy, will only hinder future growth, as traditionalists are already boycotting Amazon and F***book in disconnecting from the digital revolution and leaving fate to chance.
Nearly two and half decades ago, Bezos started a venture in a neighborhood garage that would eventually change the world, and now society faces the consequences of immediate satisfaction in being at the mercy of an organization puzzlingly complex and adaptable to perpetually changing consumer space.
Read the BBC story here.
