Amazon vs Walmart - The Stealth Enemy | 6

Business Wars

Wondery

History, Business, David Brown, Management

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the COVID-19 virus spreads across the globe and forces people inside their homes for months, the world relies on online shopping more than ever. Amazon and Walmart both struggle to keep up with surging demand as their legendary infrastructures are put to the test. And workers inside both companies rise up, arguing that the retail giants are failing to protect them from the virus, prioritizing the bottom line over workers’ health. They’re both more powerful than ever, but also more vulnerable.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, prime members, you can listen to Business Wars Add Free on Amazon Music. Download the app today.
0:15.0	It's January 2020, and an Amazon retail employee is at his computer, studying purchasing trends at headquarters in Seattle.
0:23.0	Suddenly, an alert pops up on his screen.
0:27.0	That's weird.
0:29.0	His colleague, sitting next to him, leans over to peek at his screen.
0:33.0	What's up? The algorithm is picking up a spike in searches for face masks and hand sanitizer.
0:40.0	This algorithm is like the beating heart of Amazon.
0:44.0	If there's an uptick in demand on anything, it'll show up here.
0:48.0	And right now, the spike in demand for masks, toilet paper, and sanitizer is signaling a coming heart attack.
0:56.0	Do you think people are getting all worked up about that virus in China?
1:00.0	Could be. I haven't followed it that closely, but if people are searching for these supplies, then they're worried.
1:08.0	You think it's really going to be that big a deal?
1:11.0	Her coworker nods. There's been chatter of a pandemic ever since the new coronavirus was reported in Wuhan, China.
1:18.0	But there are only a few cases in the US right now.
1:21.0	To the employee, this seems like an overreaction.
1:25.0	Still, we should probably check to see if there's a policy on what to do if a pandemic hits.
1:32.0	The two colleagues search through Amazon's emergency response procedures.
1:37.0	Hmm. I'm seeing local fires, floods, earthquakes. Hey, check this out.
1:44.0	Did you know that all the topics X-X carries satellite phones to keep operations going if the cell networks go down?
1:51.0	But nothing about a pandemic. Seriously? Nothing?
1:56.0	His stomach sinks. He has a bad feeling about this. His colleague looks at him, a slightly scared look on her face.
2:05.0	I can't believe this.
	...

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