Have you ever met a company that seemed really small, but years down the line it was posed to have it all? Let me tell you a story of my generation, I’m talking about an e-commerce shopping sensation…Oh, Bezos, you, you got what we need, everything on Amazon, buying all we could ever want, oh, Bezos, you! Pausing, briefly, in appreciation of that title sequence referencing a one-hit-wonder from the late ’80s, it isn’t a surprise that Amazon (AMZN) is on track to take over the entire universe.
The irresistible force paradox is the name given to the contradictory hypothetical phenomena when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. For the sake of argument, assume that both objects, in this case, are totally indestructible. Physics professors and experts in the field will tell you that this paradox is completely flawed because it is impossible for an object to be immovable. In terms of relating this paradox to physical sciences, yes, it is largely improbable that an unstoppable force will ever be faced with an immovable object, but I posit that this exact scenario is occurring in the stock market as we speak, and the situation is anything but paradoxical.
If we consider the global economy as an unstoppable force, capable of laying waste to any entity in its path if it so chooses, then Amazon (AMZN) has proven, on a consistent basis, to be an infinitely immovable object. As the kingpin of the retail industry, Amazon (AMZN) predicted, back in July, that its e-commerce sales in the US would reach $258.2 billion in 2018, up 30% from the year prior, essentially suggesting that the company would secure half of the US e-commerce market by the end of the year. Amazon (AMZN) announced in mid-December that it had added “tens of millions” of people who signed up for Prime memberships, and customers purchased “millions more Amazon devices” compared to last year’s holiday season. Though the company’s chief executive officer, Jeff Bezos, has stated time and time again that the company will never share its official sales numbers, it’s no secret the Bezos is dead-set on taking over the world.
Assuming, for the moment, that Amazon’s (AMZN) intentions are pure, many are curious as to what new industry the company will foray into as it continues to innovate and lead the industry into the future. According to recent reports, the Company announced on Tuesday that it was partnering up with Telenav, Inc (TNAV), a leading provider of connected-car and location-based-services to combine Telenav’s (TNAV) navigation systems with Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, allowing for the expansion of “users’ touch points beyond home and smartphone to connected vehicles. Well, there you have it, folks, Amazon (AMZN) is now entering the automotive industry, no one is safe. According to a press release regarding the announcement, recent survey data suggests that more and more automotive consumers are making purchasing decisions based on the in-car technology included in their desired vehicles, and voice remains one of the more exciting technology trends in recent years. The survey data, gathered by Autotrader, showed that 64% percent of consumers said they would pay more for technology features in their next car purchase, so it isn’t shocking that Amazon would look to integrate Alexa into the car tech game.
“Navigation is among the most popular use cases for in-car technology, and we’re excited tote working with Telenav to make it easier for automakers and supplies to support voice-first navigation through Alexa. Using the Alexa Auto SDK, Telenav is helping make Alexa a truly integrated part of the in-car navigation system, and providing customers with a more useful, consistent experience at home and on the go.”
–Ned Curic, VP of Alexa Auto, Amazon
