Amazon

Amazon Web Services signed a $38 billion cloud deal with OpenAI in November 2025 and is now negotiating a direct equity investment of up to $50 billion that would also involve OpenAI's use of Amazon's custom AI chips. - Completed $15B upfront investment in OpenAI; $35B contingent on AGI achievement or IPO by end of 2026

In October 2024, OpenAI raised $6.6 billion at a $157 billion valuation. Seventeen months later, on February 27, 2026, the maker of ChatGPT closed a record $110 billion funding round at a $730 billion pre-money valuation ($840 billion post-money)—the largest private capital raise in history. Amazon led with a $50 billion commitment ($15 billion upfront, $35 billion contingent on OpenAI achieving AGI or completing an IPO by year-end), while Nvidia and SoftBank each committed $30 billion. The round remains open for additional investors. The deal includes expanded infrastructure partnerships: Amazon will provide $100 billion in additional AWS compute services over eight years (on top of the existing $38 billion commitment), while Nvidia will supply 3 gigawatts of dedicated inference capacity and 2 gigawatts of training capacity using its Vera Rubin systems.

Updated Yesterday

The world's largest online retailer and, since 2022, the largest parcel delivery company in the United States by volume. - Operating largest U.S. delivery network, partnering with FedEx

Amazon was UPS's largest customer for nearly three decades. Now UPS is walking away from the business. On January 27, 2026, the parcel carrier announced 30,000 additional job cuts and 24 facility closures as it accelerates a plan to slash Amazon deliveries by more than half—calling the relationship 'extraordinarily dilutive' to its profit margins. UPS stock rose 4% in pre-market trading on the earnings beat before concerns about a weak first-quarter outlook tempered investor enthusiasm.

Updated Jan 29

Amazon got Alexa into appliances early but now faces smarter AI competition. - Embedded Alexa in third-party appliances but facing AI upgrade pressure

Samsung just put Google's Gemini AI inside a refrigerator. Not alongside it, not as an app—built directly into the hardware. The Bespoke AI refrigerator, unveiled at CES 2026, can recognize your food without you scanning barcodes, read handwritten labels on containers, and suggest recipes based on what's actually inside. It's the first home appliance with Gemini integration, and it signals a major shift: AI assistants are moving from our phones and speakers into every appliance in the house.

Updated Jan 6