🧟 amazombie + finch

boogaloo shrimp and pogo sticks

Sarah Lazarus @sarahclazarus

did I “kill a plant” or did the plant not have what it takes to thrive in this fast-paced environment

chompie @chompie1337

dentist: so, are you flossing? me: are you using a unique password for every account?

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It is well-known that Amazon uses information from third parties to make business decisions. So why can’t the Competition Bureau?

More seriously: Lina Khan's seminal work on Amazon's Antitrust Paradox was published in 2017. In it, she documented how "elements of the firm's structure and conduct post anticompetitive scrutiny - yet it has escaped antitrust scrutiny."  Five years later, she now chairs the Federal Trade Commission. Also in 2017, Canada's Competition Bureau levied an administrative monetary penalty on Amazon that was related to pricing representations. Since then, the Bureau has yet to bring a case forward alleging that Amazon has engaged in anti-competitive conduct. Does the ‘paradox’ extend to Canada?

Amazon's tactics make it remarkably difficult for the independent merchants that participate in its marketplace. The firm is known to 'steal' the best ideas from independent businesses, privilege its own products in search, and strong-arm sellers to buy its services - even if they would prefer to use other providers. They also steadily increase the fees associated with competing online. 

I have a new piece in the Financial Post that asks why Canada has been comparatively slow to report back to citizens on Amazon. 👇

Financial Post @financialpost

Vass Bednar: Why is it taking the Competition Bureau so long to rule on Amazon?

financialpost.comVass Bednar: Why is it taking the Competition Bureau so long to rule on Amazon?Amazon’s practices are remarkably well-established, yet they are not quantified in Canada

What else? I’ve been following dialogue on proposed legislation in the US that would prevent self-preferencing. I think Canada should learn from the tactics/strategies/investments that are being made to slow/oppose/block such legislation as we look ahead to a formal review of the Competition Act. 🧴

Kara Swisher @karaswisher

Apparently it’s: Antitrust Summer. Sunscreen is optional.

antitrustsummer.comBreaking: The Senate is expected to vote on antitrust bills S. 2992 and S. 2710 in a matter of weeks. Antitrust summer is on!Congress is considering strong antitrust bills that will give internet users more power and choice, and stop dominant tech companies from abusing their gatekeeper status. Join us in helping pass these bills.

Hal Singer @HalSinger

The Amazombies are out in force today, with columns and tweets, blasting the self-preferencing bill. They must be really worried about how the bill will constrain their anticompetitive behavior and ill-gotten profits!

+ I reference the Amazon fact sheet from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in the Financial Post, and link to it below.

ILSR @ilsr

“Amazon is a monopoly that must be broken up for the sake of every small business,” a retailer in Louisiana said. @ilsr’s new factsheet retells stories and testimonials from Amazon sellers.

ilsr.orgSmall Business Voices: “Amazon’s Grip is Crushing Us”Amazon portrays itself as a partner to businesses in an effort to derail Congress, business owners tell a very different story about their experience selling on Amazon’s marketplace. Here are some of their stories.

✌️ Thanks for reading and I look forward to learning from your comments and emails!

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🙏 Thank you to Denise Hearn + Keldon Bester for their comments on my Amazon draft.