Ray Blanco:

Amazon Hopes To Replace 600,000 U.S. Workers With Robots, According to Leaked Documents

Citing interviews and internal strategy documents, The New York Times reports that Amazon is hoping its robots can replace more than 600,000 jobs it would otherwise have to hire in the United States by 2033, despite estimating it’ll sell about twice as many products over the period.

Documents reportedly show that Amazon’s robotics team is working towards automating 75% of the company’s entire operations, and expects to ditch 160,000 U.S. roles that would otherwise be needed by 2027. This would save about 30 cents on every item that Amazon warehouses and delivers to customers, with automation efforts expected to save the company $12.6 billion from 2025 to 2027.

Amazon has considered steps to improve its image as a “good corporate citizen” in preparation for the anticipated backlash around job losses, according to The NYT, reporting that the company considered participating in community projects and avoiding terms like “automation” and “AI.” More vague terms like “advanced technology” were explored instead, and using the term “cobot” for robots that work alongside humans.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the leaked documents reflect the perspective of just one team, and do not represent the company’s overall hiring strategy “now or moving forward.”

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Greg Guenthner:

OpenAI Sets ChatGPT Atlas Browser Launch, Sending Alphabet Shares Lower

Shares of Google parent Alphabet sank 3% on Tuesday after OpenAI announced the launch of ChatGPT Atlas, an artificial intelligence-powered web browser.

OpenAI posted a five-second video on X showing three browser tabs that say “Livestream,” “Today” and “10 a.m. PT.” The company’s CEO Sam Altman highlighted the upcoming launch in a separate post, writing that it’s for a new product he’s “quite excited about!”

On YouTube, OpenAI published a link to a livestream titled “Introducing ChatGPT Atlas.” In the description, the company describes the product as its “new browser” and said it’s available globally on macOS with Windows, iOS and Android coming soon.

In January, OpenAI unveiled Operator, an agent that uses a browser to complete tasks, but it has yet to release a standalone browser product. Launching a browser would put the company in direct competition with rivals like Google and Perplexity AI, who are jostling to attract users and win market share with their offerings.

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Chris Campbell:

Real Gold, Digital Gold, Smart Gold

There’s a rumor making the rounds again — an old ghost in new clothes — that Ethereum will one day “flip” Bitcoin. As in, ETH’s market cap will surpass BTC’s. It even has a name: the Flippening.

Bitcoin is designed for stability and scarcity, not speed or complexity. Ethereum's strengths? It is programmable, flexible, capable of turning static value into motion. This has led some to believe that Wall Street's adoption of crypto more so benefits ETH.

According to Tom Lee of Fundstrat, “As we move not just dollars onto the blockchain, but we'll move stocks and real estate, dollar dominance is going to be the opportunity of Ethereum.”

So will ETH overtake Bitcoin? The honest answer: we don’t know. What we do know is that the asymmetric upside in Ethereum — and the expanding lattice of protocols that surround it — is still priced like a sideshow to Bitcoin’s main act.

Bitcoin will likely keep its crown as the reserve asset of the crypto universe as the simplest, hardest, most trusted collateral. Whether that axis tilts on a massive scale in favor of Ethereum is always up for debate. Though you can almost hear the faint creak of something enormous shifting its weight.

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