Western Sydney could be an AI talent engine, but career literacy, transport and access still hold students back. And that’s bad for SMEs. Australia’s AI workforce ambitions are running into a familiar structural problem: access. As Amazon hosted its annual Girls’ Tech Day in Camden this week, Western Sydney University (WSU) and local government leaders… Read more »
Government-owned NBN Co has chosen Amazon’s Project Kuiper’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology for high-speed, wholesale fixed broadband to customers in sections of regional, rural and remote Australia. The decision sidelines Elon Musk’s Starlink, which launched in Australia in 2021, and has around 200,000 local customers, and was also pitching for the NBN contract.… Read more »
Concerned about privacy? Your Amazon Echo devices will get creepier next week, when all Alexa conversations will be sent to the cloud after a policy change seemingly intended to feed data to the company’s souped-up generative AI (genAI) revamp. The policy change – which was announced in a recent email to customers – will see… Read more »
Amazon has secured a A$2 billion contract with the Australian Signals Directorate – the agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence and information security. A local subsidiary of Amazon Web Services will build a Top Secret Cloud to provide secure data storage for military intelligence. The deal will securely manage top secret data vital to Australia’s… Read more »
Amazon is laying off another 9,000 employees, with senior management citing “the uncertain economy in which we reside”. The cuts will come from its cloud business Amazon Web Services (AWS), streaming platform Twitch, and its advertising department. This latest round of layoffs comes just two months after Amazon said it would cut more than 18,000… Read more »
The five largest tech giants may be using ‘dark patterns’ to prevent consumers from adopting online services from competitors, the ACCC has warned as it solicits feedback on a new issues paper exploring the companies’ entrance into a diverse range of markets. Recent years have seen Amazon, Apple, Facebook parent company Meta, Microsoft, and Google… Read more »
More than 25,000 jobs are set to be cut at three of the biggest tech companies in the world, as rapid growth during the pandemic slows and broader economic headwinds pick up speed. Reports emerged this week that Amazon is planning to lay off about 10,000 people, on the back of Facebook parent company Meta’s… Read more »
Less than two weeks after the announcement of its acquisition of US healthcare company One Medical, Amazon is continuing its expansion with a US$1.7 billion offer for iRobot, the manufacturer of Roomba automated vacuum cleaners. The acquisition will bolster Amazon’s line of smart home products and add to the retail giant’s vast store of consumer… Read more »
Amazon drivers and transport unionists celebrated a win against the gig economy last week after the NSW Industrial Relations Commission agreed to give Amazon Flex drivers a minimum rate of $37.80 per hour. The new rate of pay will be incrementally phased-in starting from 1 March, beginning at $27.83 and reaching the full $37.80 per… Read more »
Australian company Penny Skateboards is skating through their expansion into the US thanks to their decision to get on board with Amazon. Penny Skateboards has been successfully operating since 2010, when founder Ben Mackay started manufacturing out of Brisbane. He named his unique boards Penny after his sister, a name that people soon started to… Read more »
After years of perfecting his product, Melbourne-based entrepreneur Daniel Kitay launched FUNDAY Natural Sweets in May 2021 to change how we view, and taste, lollies. In that short time, he’s built a brand that’s already starting to expand internationally. It’s hard to believe that FUNDAY Natural Sweets only launched last year. It already feels like… Read more »
Yesterday a colossal data leak from live streaming platform Twitch.tv was posted on controversial internet forum 4chan by an anonymous user. Twitch hosts millions of users who stream their daily activities to a combined audience of tens of millions of people. The platform is used primarily to stream computer game-related content, although users can broadcast… Read more »
Amazon Australia’s largest fulfilment centre in Sydney was shut today for deep cleaning after two workers at the site returned positive tests for COVID-19. The 44,000-square-metre distribution warehouse at Moorebank in Sydney’s southwest – the current epicentre of the Sydney outbreak – stocks more then 500,000 products. How long it remains offline will determine the… Read more »
Tech giant Amazon is setting up a new Adelaide office at the city’s innovation hub, Lot Fourteen, with a promise to create more than 50 jobs by 2024. The new office will include Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Amazon Sciences, a team carrying out world-leading artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) research. State Premier… Read more »
Welcome to Monday, or as it’s known in the US, National Tom Brady Day. Here’s today’s news, and don’t forget to tune in for the Startup Daily show on Ausbiz.com.au every weekday, 2-3pm. Watch online, download the ausbiz app or via 7Plus Google launches News Showcase Google’s Plan B for paying the media for news launched in Australia… Read more »
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