According to a recent Business Insider investigation into the tech giant’s cost-cutting tactics, Amazon employees are now required to declare what proportion of their use of company-issued phones is connected to business, with their $50 monthly reimbursements being lowered proportionately depending on personal use.
As firms trim their budgets after spending sprees during the pandemic, one of the most blatant manifestations of corporate penny-pinching is phone monitoring. According to the report, Amazon Web Services staff members must separate their personal and professional mobile usage, and the company will cut back on reimbursements for non-work-related use dollar for dollar.
Jassy’s Broader Cost-Cutting Strategy
Following his takeover from founder Jeff Bezos, CEO Andy Jassy has implemented a “hardcore culture reset” that includes the phone tracking. According to Business Insider’s report, Amazon has also adopted additional micromanagement strategies, such as asking store staff to itemise meal expenses and requesting permission for work trips by detailing expected goals and returns.
Amazon is keeping a close eye on costs in all aspects of its business. During staff meetings, CEOs frequently stress the importance of being economical. Jassy asks staff members to consider, “What would I do if this was my money?” before making decisions.
Changing Dynamics of America’s Corporate Sector
This kind of detailed oversight is part of a larger trend in corporate America, where businesses are closely examining employee spending that was formerly managed by general policies. Although few have put usage-based payment schemes in place, Meta, Google, and Microsoft have all raised performance standards in a similar manner.
According to Business Insider’s interview with Amazon employees, cost-cutting initiatives have “veered into micromanagement”, raising concerns about job security. Employees who consider company-provided devices as a routine perk of employment rather than a privilege that can be quantified are especially irritated by the phone monitoring.
A representative for Amazon defended the regulations, stating that they are part of the business’s return to its “performance-driven and fast-paced” roots and that being economical has always been a fundamental company value.
Amazon Closes Wondery Podcast Studio
As part of a significant restructuring of its audio division, Amazon has shut down its Wondery podcast studio and laying off some 110 employees, according to Bloomberg News. In light of industry-wide difficulties, the move represents the tech giant’s strategic shift away from its initial podcasting goals.
As current episodes are redistributed between Amazon’s Audible platform and a new “creator services” team devoted to personality-driven content, such as the well-liked Jason and Travis Kelce podcast, Wondery CEO Jen Sargent will also leave the firm. In an internal document seen by Bloomberg, Steve Boom, vice president of audio, Twitch, and games at Amazon, stated that the podcast industry has changed dramatically in recent years.
The definition of what it means to be a podcast developer has also become more hazy due to the popularity of video. During the podcast boom in 2020, Wondery was acquired by Amazon for about $300 million, enabling it to function independently at first with its own membership app. But when the medium changed, the business found it difficult to successfully compete with sites like YouTube and Spotify.
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