Tag Archives: Jeff Bezos

Science

Space Sail Experiment Expedites Disposal of Satellite

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ADEO being deployed from the ION Satellite Carrier during the December 2022 test.
Gif: High Performance Space Structure Systems/Gizmodo

There’s a lot of junk orbiting our planet, from tiny flecks of paint to defunct rocket stages. While solutions to remove pre-existing debris have been developed, a private space company in Germany has successfully tested a method to deorbit satellites at the end of their life to prevent them from becoming space debris in the first place.

The Drag Augmentation Deorbiting System (ADEO) braking sail was developed by High Performance Space Structure Systems as a way to deorbit satellites at the end of their mission. In a space-based test in December 2022 called “Show Me Your Wings,” ADEO was deployed from an ION Satellite Carrier built by private space company D-Orbit. ADEO successfully pushed the satellite carrier out of its orbit, sending it into the atmosphere to burn up.

“Show Me Your Wings” marks the final in-flight qualification test of ADEO as a proof-of-concept after tests began in 2018. The European Space Agency hopes ADEO will help prevent future decommissioned satellites from becoming orbiting space debris, which can pose a threat to space operations.

“We want to establish a zero debris policy, which means if you bring a spacecraft into orbit you have to remove it,” said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher in a press release.

ADEO – Deorbit Sailing on Angel Wings

ADEO is a 38-square-foot (3.5-square-meter) sail made up of an aluminum-coated polyamide membrane secured to four carbon-fibre reinforced arms that are positioned in an X-shape. The sail increases surface drag when deployed from a satellite, leading to a more rapidly decaying orbit. ADEO can also be scaled up or down depending on the size of the satellite it’s attached to. The largest version could reach 1,076-square-feet (100-square-meter) with the smallest sail being 37-square-foot (3.5-square-meter).

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NASA estimates that 27,000 pieces of space debris are orbiting Earth, most of which are larger than a softball and traveling at speeds around 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour). While ESA has previously announced plans to remove pre-existing space debris in the form of decommissioned satellites, ADEO is an attempt at preventing satellites from ever becoming debris in the first place.

More: Jeff Bezos’s Girlfriend Is Leading an All-Women Blue Origin Spaceflight

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Entertainment

Neil Young pays tribute to David Crosby: ‘Love you man’

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CNN
 — 

Legendary rocker Neil Young has paid tribute to former Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmate David Crosby.

“David is gone, but his music lives on. The soul of CSNY, David’s voice and energy were at the heart of our band,” the statement, posted to Young’s website, read.

Crosby’s family announced Thursday that he died at age 81.

“His great songs stood for what we believed in and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together,” Young’s tribute continued. “We had so many great times, especially in the early years. Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.”

Young concluded, “thanks David for your spirit and songs, Love you man. I remember the best times!”

Young and Crosby’s paths crossed in 1970 when Young joined Crosby, Stills & Nash. The supergroup then became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and went on to release “Déjà Vu,” which contained the hit song “Woodstock.”

The rock pioneers weren’t always on the same page, despite the many stages they shared.

“When you meet, when you start a band, you’re in love with each other,” Crosby told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2019. “Forty years later, when you’ve done it for forty years and it’s devolved to just turn on the smoke machine and play your hits, it’s not musically exciting, it’s not fun and we weren’t friends.”

Amanpour posed the question of Crosby possibly repairing his friendship with his former CSNY bandmates, to which Crosby replied: “That I would like to do.”

Stephen Stills and Graham Nash also paid tribute to Crosby.

“It is only the memory of such a unique and full life so well lived that must sustain us through this period of profound grief,” Stills shared in a statement.

Stills added that “David lived a life of deep and enduring gratitude and was an extraordinary, richly sentient being,” continuing to say that “his music will live on through us all.”

Nash reflected on their at-times “volatile” relationship in a tribute posted to Facebook, adding that “what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together.”

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Business

What it’s like to deliver for Amazon in new Rivian electric vans

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For the 275,000 Amazon drivers dropping off 10 million packages a day around the world, the job can be a grind. But a lot has changed since drivers in 2021 told CNBC about unrealistic workloads, peeing in bottles, dog bites and error-prone routing software.

Among the biggest developments is the arrival of a brand-new electric van from Rivian.

Amazon was a big and early investor in the electric vehicle company, which went public in late 2021 with a plan to build trucks and SUVs for consumers and delivery vans for businesses. Since July, Amazon has rolled out more than 1,000 new Rivian vans, which are now making deliveries in more than 100 U.S. cities, including Baltimore, Chicago, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York City and Austin, Texas.

The partnership began in 2019, when Amazon founder and ex-CEO Jeff Bezos announced Amazon had purchased 100,000 electric vans from Rivian as one step toward his company’s ambitious promise of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

″[We] will have prototypes on the road next year, but 100,000 deployed by 2024,” Bezos said at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., in September 2019. Amazon has since revised the timeline, saying it expects all 100,000 Rivian vans on the road by 2030.

Rivian has faced several challenges in recent months. It cut back 2022 production amid supply chain and assembly line issues. Its stock price dropped so sharply last year that Amazon recorded a combined $11.5 billion markdown on its holdings in the first two quarters.

CNBC talked to drivers to see what’s changed with the driving experience. We also went to Amazon’s Delivering the Future event in Boston in November for a look at the technology designed to maximize safety and efficiency for delivery personnel.

For now, most Amazon drivers are still in about 110,000 gas-powered vans — primarily Ford Transits, Mercedes-Benz Sprinters and Ram ProMasters. Amazon wouldn’t share how it determines which of its 3,500 third-party delivery firms, or delivery service partners (DSPs), are receiving Rivian vans first. 

The e-commerce giant has been using DSPs to deliver its packages since 2018, allowing the company to reduce its reliance on UPS and the U.S. Postal Service for the so-called last mile, the most expensive portion of the delivery journey. The DSP, which works exclusively with Amazon, employs the drivers and is responsible for the liabilities of the road, vehicle maintenance, and the costs of hiring, benefits and overtime pay.

Amazon leases the vans to DSP owners at a discount. The company covers the fuel for gas-powered vans and installs charging stations for electric vehicles.

The company says DSP owners have generated $26 billion in revenue and now operate in 15 countries, including Saudi Arabia, India, Brazil, Canada, and all over Europe. 

What drivers think

In the early days of testing the Rivian vans, some drivers voiced concerns about range. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC the vans can travel up to 150 miles on a single charge, which is typically plenty of power for a full shift and allows drivers to recharge the vehicle overnight.

As for maintenance, Amazon says that takes place at Rivian service centers near delivery stations or by a Rivian mobile service team, depending on location.

Julietta Dennis launched a DSP, Kangaroo Direct, in Baltimore three years ago. She employs about 75 drivers and leases more than 50 vans from Amazon. She now has 15 Rivian vehicles.

“It’s very easy to get in and out with all of the different handles to hold on to,” Dennis said. She said that some drivers were hesitant at first because the vehicles were so new and different, “but the moment they get in there and have their first experience, that’s the van that they want to drive.”

Baltimore DSP owner Julieta Dennis shows off a Rivian electric van at Amazon’s Delivering the Future event in Boston, Maryland, on November 10, 2022.

Erin Black

Brandi Monroe has been delivering for Kangaroo Direct for two years. She pointed to features on a Rivian van that are upgrades over what she’s driven in the past. There’s a large non-slip step at the back, a hand cart for helping with heavy packages and extra space for standing and walking in the cargo area.

“We have two shelves on both sides to allow for more space,” Monroe said, adding that she’d prefer to drive a Rivian for every shift. “And then the lights at the top: very innovative to help us see the packages and address a lot easier, especially at nighttime.”

There’s even a heated steering wheel.

Former driver B.J. Natividad, who goes by Avionyx on YouTube, says his non-electric van could get very cramped.

“I remember one time I had 23 or 24 bags and over 40 oversize packages and I had to be able to figure out how to stuff that all in there within the 15 minutes that they give us to load up in the morning,” said Natividad, who now works for USPS.

The Rivian vans have at least 100 more cubic feet than the Sprinter and up to double the cargo space of the Ford Transit vans Natividad drove in Las Vegas. Rivian vans are still small enough that they don’t require a special license to drive, though Amazon provides its own training for drivers.

One driver in Seattle, who asked to remain unnamed, was especially excited about the new Rivian vans. He offered an extensive tour of the new driving experience on his YouTube channel called Friday Adventure Club.

He said one of his favorite features is a light bar “that goes all the way around the back.” He also likes that the windshield is “absolutely massive,” the wide doors allow for easy entry and exit, and the cargo door automatically opens when the van is parked. There are two rows of shelves that fold up and down in the cargo area.

There’s also new technology, such as an embedded tablet with the driving route and a 360-degree view that shows all sides of the van.

Mai Le, Amazon’s vice president of Last Mile, oversaw the testing of the center console and Rivian’s integrated software.

“We did a lot of deliveries as a test,” Le said. “As a woman, I want to make sure that the seats are comfortable for me and that my legs can reach the pedals, I can see over the steering wheel.”

She demonstrated some of the benefits of the new technology.

“When we start to notice that you’re slowing down, that means that we can tell you’re getting near to your destination,” she said. “The map begins to zoom in, so you begin to find where’s your delivery location, which building and where parking could be.”

The new vans have keyless entry. They automatically lock when the driver is 15 feet away and unlock as the driver approaches. 

Workers load packages into Amazon Rivian Electric trucks at an Amazon facility in Poway, California, November 16, 2022.

Sandy Huffaker | Reuters

Cameras and safety

Above all else, Amazon says the changes were designed to make the delivery job safer.

A ProPublica report found Amazon’s contract drivers were involved in more than 60 serious crashes from 2015 to 2019, at least 10 of which were fatal. Amazon put cameras and sensors all over the Rivian vans, which enable warnings and lane assist technology that autocorrects if the vehicle veers out of the lane.

Dennis mentioned the importance of automatic braking and the steering wheel that starts “just kind of shaking when you get too close to something.”

“There’s just so many features that would really, really help cut back on some of those incidental accidents,” she said.

Amazon vans have driver-facing cameras inside, which can catch unsafe driving practices as they happen.

“The in-vehicle safety technology we have watches for poor safety behaviors like distracted driving, seat belts not being fastened, running stop signs, traffic lights,” said Beryl Tomay, who helps run the technology side of delivery as vice president of Last Mile for Amazon.

“We’ve seen over the past year a reduction of 80% to 95% in these events when we’ve warned drivers real time,” she said. “But the really game-changing results that we’ve seen have been almost a 50% reduction in accidents.”

As a DSP owner, Dennis gets alerts if her drivers exhibit patterns of unsafe behavior. 

“If something with a seat belt or just something flags, then our team will contact the driver and make sure that that’s coached on and taken care of and figured out, like what actually happened,” Dennis said.

That level of constant surveillance may be unsettling for some drivers. Dennis said that issues haven’t come up among her staffers. And Amazon stresses it’s focused on driver privacy.

“We’ve taken great care from a privacy perspective,” Tomay said. “There’s no sound ever being recorded. There’s no camera recording if the driver’s not driving and there’s a privacy mode.”

Amazon says the cabin-facing camera automatically switches off when the ignition is off, and privacy mode means it also turns off if the vehicle is stationary for more than 30 seconds.

Safety concerns extend beyond the vehicle itself. For example, an Amazon driver in Missouri was found dead in a front yard in October, allegedly after a dog attack.

Amazon says new technology can help. Drivers can choose to manually notify customers ahead of a delivery, giving them time to restrain pets. Another feature that’s coming, according to Le, will allow drivers to mark delivery locations that have pets.

Natividad said he had multiple close calls with dogs charging at him during deliveries.

“You customers out there, please restrain your dogs when you know a package is coming,” he said. “Please keep them inside. Don’t leave them just outside.”

Optimizing routes

Providing drivers with more efficient and better detailed routes could improve safety, too. Drivers in 2021 told us about losing time because Amazon’s routing software made a mistake, like not recognizing a closed road or gated community. In response, they sometimes tried to save time in other ways.

“People are running through stop signs, running through yellow lights,” said Adrienne Williams, a former DSP driver. “Everybody I knew was buckling their seat belt behind their backs because the time it took just to buckle your seat belt, unbuckle your seat belt every time was enough time to get you behind schedule.”

Amazon listened. The company has been adding a huge amount of detail to driver maps, using information from 16 third-party map vendors as well as machine learning models informed by satellite driver feedback and other sources.

One example is a new in-vehicle data collection system called Fleet Edge, which is currently in a few thousand vans. Fleet Edge collects real-time data from a street view camera and GPS device during a driver’s route.

“Due to Fleet Edge, we’ve added over 120,000 new street signs to Amazon’s mapping system,” Tomay said. “The accuracy of GPS locations has increased by over two and a half times in our test areas, improving navigation safety by announcing upcoming turns sooner.”

Tomay said the maps also added points of interest like coffee shops and restrooms, so in about 95% of metro areas, “drivers can find a spot to take a break within five minutes of a stop.”

In 2021, Amazon apologized for dismissing claims that drivers were urinating in bottles as a result of demanding delivery schedules. Natividad said he occasionally found urine-filled bottles in his vans before his shift in the mornings.

“As soon as I open the van, I’m looking around, I see a bottle of urine. I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m not touching this,'” he said.

Pay for Amazon drivers is up to the discretion of each individual DSP, although Amazon says it regularly audits DSP rates to make sure they’re competitive. Indeed.com puts average Amazon driver pay at nearly $19 an hour, 16% higher than the national average.

Natividad started delivering for Amazon in 2021 when his gigs as a fulltime disc jockey dried up because of the pandemic. He liked the job at the time, generally delivering at least 200 packages along the same route. However, during the holiday season that year, he once had more than 400 packages and 200 stops in a single shift.

“Towards the end of my day, they sent out two rescues to me to help out to make sure everything’s done before 10 hours,” he said.

Amazon is working to optimize its routes. But it’s an unwieldy operation. The company says it’s generated 225,000 unique routes per day during peak season.

Tomay said the company looks at the density of packages, the complexity of delivery locations “and any other considerations like weather and traffic from past history to put a route together that we think is ideal.”

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

“Given that we’re in over 20 countries and every geography looks different, it’s not just about delivery vehicles or vans anymore,” Tomay said. “We have rickshaws in India. We have walkers in Manhattan.”

In Las Vegas, Amazon held a roundtable last year for DSP owners and drivers. Natividad says he spoke for 20 minutes at the event about the need for Amazon to improve its routing algorithms.

“I think they should do that probably once a month, with all the DSP supervision and a few of the drivers, and not the same drivers every time. That way different feedback is given. And like seriously listen to them,” Natividad said. “Because they’re not the ones out there seeing and experiencing what we go through.” 

Natividad didn’t get to try out the routing technology in the Rivian vans before he left to deliver for USPS in July. He’s excited that the postal service is following in Amazon’s footsteps with 66,000 electric vans coming by 2028.

Amazon, meanwhile, is diversifying its electric fleet beyond Rivian. The company has ordered thousands of electric Ram vans from Stellantis and also has some on the way from Mercedes-Benz.



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Technology

Amazon Prime Is Adding 10 More Games To Its December Freebies

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Screenshot: Arkane / Kotaku

The attention-grabbing headline for this story, of games coming with Amazon Prime membership this holiday, would be “Ten Free Games!” But when the other nine are so old they’re starting to peel at the edges, that’d be pretty anticlimactic. The true news here is the utterly fantastic Dishonored 2 is yours, gratis, if you’re member of the Bezos Fan Club come December 27. And it will join an already decent crop for this month.

Let’s start at the start…of the month. To celebrate the birth of our lord, Santa, Amazon has already released a bunch of freebs for Prime members. These include the truly wonderful Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons, psychedelic indie platformer Spinch, and the original (but updated for modern systems) Quake. And now, because ‘tis the season of corporate gestures, ten more are to be belatedly added to the list for your Chrimbo-break. And one of them is from this century!

Dishonored 2 was a stunning game from Arkane, back in 2016, and still very much holds up today. You don’t want to trust the negativity some sites met it with, because it was a corker. If you’re a Prime member and haven’t played it, this’d be a daft opportunity to miss.

Beyond that in the list, um, do you like SNK games from the mid-90s? Here’s everything coming from December 27 to January 3:

  • Dishonored 2
  • Metal Slug
  • Metal Slug X
  • Metal Slug 3
  • Real Bout Fatal Fury
  • The King of Fighters 2003
  • The Last Blade
  • The Last Blade 2
  • Twinkle Star Sprites
  • SNK 40th Anniversary Collection

They join this bunch that was added at the start of the month:

  • Quake
  • Rose Riddle 2: Werewolf Shadow
  • The Amazing American Circus
  • Banners of Ruin
  • Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • Spinch
  • Desert Child
  • Doors: Paradox

I know, what was I doing failing to highlight Rose Riddle 2: Werewolf Shadow and 1996’s scrolling shooter, Twinkle Star Sprites?

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You can add these games to your Prime account by clicking here. If you want to smash the system, and stick it to Jeffrey Bezos, you can get them if you sign up for the free Prime 30 days offer doodah, add the games, cancel it, and then keep the games forever. Ha ha ha! That’ll show’em.

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Business

Lauren Sanchez puts on VERY leggy display as she steps out with Jeff Bezos for dinner

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Lauren Sanchez put on a very leggy display while pictured stepping out with her boyfriend Jeff Bezos in Los Angeles, as the couple attended dinner at celebrity hot spot Giorgio Baldi.

Bezos, 58, and Sanchez, 52, were seen holding hands while entering and leaving the luxurious family-run Italian restaurant located by the ocean in Santa Monica.

The founder of Amazon, who holds an estimated net worth of $116.8 billion, appeared to be in good spirits as he escorted Sanchez in and out of the popular venue.

Sanchez was seen wearing a short black dress, a simple single jeweled necklace and a long black coat which complimented her black heels.

The 52-year-old, who promotes a healthy lifestyle on her Instagram often seen posting photos and videos working out at the gym, had her legs on full display as she and Bezos wore matching shaded outfits.

The world’s fourth richest man Jeff Bezos was pictured stepping out in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez who put on a very leggy display as the couple attended dinner at celebrity hot spot Giorgio Baldi

Bezos, 58, and Sanchez, 52, were seen holding hands while entering and leaving the luxurious family-run Italian restaurant located by the ocean in Santa Monica

The founder of Amazon, who holds an estimated net worth of $116.8 billion, appeared to be in good spirits as he escorted Sanchez in and out of the popular venue

Sanchez was seen wearing a short black dress, a simple single jeweled necklace and a long black coat which complimented her black heels

The 52-year-old, who promotes a healthy lifestyle on her Instagram often seen posting photos and videos working out at the gym, had her legs on full display as she and Bezos wore matching shaded outfits

In a video posted to Instagram in May, a toned Sanchez can be seen paying special attention to her legs joking that she had hoped to wish that day’s work out.

She is typically seen tagging Wesley Okerson, Tom Cruise’s former trainer, who Bezos employed to help fine-tune his physique.

‘I thought missing my work out because of zoom calls was a good excuse,’ she quipped.

‘Then @jeffbezos decides we have time to work out. [Yes, I felt attacked] @wesokerson I’m going to be sore tomorrow.’

Sanchez this week posted another workout video talking about fitting in exercise where she can within her busy schedule.

‘I only had 20 minutes to work out before taking kids to school @wesokerson said it was enough time. He was right. Here it is,’ she said.

‘Leg Workout: With some upper body/and cardio, Nordic hamstring Curl x 12 (Focus on the down phase and help yourself up by pressing with arms), Thrusters x 12, Bench step overs x 20, (10 each side), Step up knee drive x 20, (10 each side).

‘Complete all four exercises then take a 1 min. Break 4-5 rounds, 15/20 min total work time.’

Sanchez typically promotes healthy living on her socials which is evident in the leggy display at the dinner outing on Friday night in Los Angeles

The outing comes just weeks after Bezos and Sanchez had their first sit-down television interview with CNN together in which the couple gushed over one another and sung each other’s praises

Their romance was exposed by the National Enquirer in January 2019, and soon after, the businessman divorced from his wife-of-over-25-years, McKenzie Scott, and the mother of his four children

Sanchez, revealed her outfit from behind her long coat. She was married when her relationship to Bezos was outed, and it was her husband, Patrick Whitesell, 56, who had reportedly introduced the two lovers in the first place

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez have given their first sit-down television interview together in which the couple gushed over one another and sung each other’s praises

The outing comes just weeks after Bezos and Sanchez had their first sit-down television interview with CNN together in which the couple gushed over one another and sung each other’s praises.

Their romance was exposed by the National Enquirer in January 2019, and soon after, the businessman divorced from his wife-of-over-25-years, McKenzie Scott, and the mother of his four children.

Sanchez was also married when her relationship to Bezos was outed, and it was her husband, co-CEO of Hollywood powerhouse agency WME, Patrick Whitesell, 56, who had reportedly introduced the two lovers in the first place.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez have given their first sit-down television interview together in which the couple gushed over one another and sung each other’s praises.

Bezos, 58, who is the world’s fourth richest person, and Sanchez, 52, said the couple’s partnership is made stronger because they’re ‘teammates’.

‘It’s easy. We bring each other energy, we respect each other. So, it’s fun to work together,’ Bezos added.

Bezos who is also the founder of spaceflight company Blue Origin said he believes everyone who wants to go into space will have the opportunity to do so during his lifetime.

‘I do [believe space travel will be attainable for everyone]. Let me give you an example. The Wright brothers flew this tiny little plane, just a couple hundred feet. And if you told the Wright brothers a hundred years from now, there’s going be a 787 that carries 400 people, they’d laugh,’ Bezos said.

Sanchez who is a former Emmy-award winning journalist, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, also announced she is planning to go into space next year with a ‘great group of females’ accompanying her.

Sanchez has her own pilots license and founded Black Ops Aviation in 2016, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company.

Bezos, 58, who is the world’s fourth richest person, and Sanchez, 52, said the couple’s partnership is made stronger because they’re ‘teammates’

Sanchez who is a former Emmy-award winning journalist, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, also announced she is planning to go into space next year with a ‘great group of females’ accompanying her

Sanchez has her own pilots license and founded Black Ops Aviation in 2016, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company

The couple who are normally relatively private when it comes to their relationship saw Bezos laying on the compliments thick in the interview and have been seen out and about since it aired last month

Bezos had been criticized in the past for not signing the Giving Pledge, the campaign launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffet to encourage billionaires to donate their wealth through philanthropy

‘I’ve also learned how to fly the helicopter,’ Bezos added. ‘And she’s a horrible backseat pilot. She’s terrible!’

‘I’ve realized that when I’m in the back of the helicopter when he’s flying, I just kind of have to look out the window, just kind of enjoy the scenery,’ Sanchez laughed. ‘I’m like, ‘No, no. Pull up. Okay. Okay, Slow down. But he’s very good.’

The couple who are normally relatively private when it comes to their relationship saw Bezos laying on the compliments thick.

‘Lauren is the most generous, most big-hearted person that you would ever meet. So, she is an inspiration in that way. She never misses a birthday. The network of people that she gives birthday presents to is gigantic. And that’s just a small example.’

The pair also revealed what they get up to on a Saturday night joking that their evening is nothing special.

‘We can be kind of boring,’ Sanchez said laughing. ‘I would say normal. We have dinner with the kids. That’s always fun and a great conversation. There’s seven between us, so there’s a lot of discussion. And then we watch a movie … by committee. It takes a long time to find that movie.’

‘We probably spend more time picking the movie than we need to,’ Bezos added.

During the interview Bezos said he will give away a majority of his wealth during his lifetime, becoming the latest billionaire to pledge to donate much of his vast fortune.

The billionaire didn’t specify how – or to whom – he will give away the money, but said the couple were building the ‘capacity’ to do it.

Scott, Bezo’s ex, signed that pledge in 2019 and has since emerged as a formidable force in the world of philanthropy, showering charities throughout the country with unexpected – and often secretive – contributions

Sanchez was all smiles as they step out on a romantic dinner date at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica

It was a slow reveal before Sanchez’s outfit was once again in the limelight of waiting paparazzo  

Bezo’s often tries to work out with Girlfriend Sanchez who both try to keep healthy lifestyles

Her bombshell outfit was a hit when leaving the well known celebrity hot spot which has seen sightings including Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Victoria and David Beckham

The couple say they wanted to bring a ‘little bit of light’ to the people who use unity instead of conflict to resolve issues

‘The hard part is figuring out how to do it in a levered way,’ Bezos said during the interview. ‘It’s not easy. Building Amazon was not easy. It took a lot of hard work and very smart teammates. And I’m finding – and Lauren’s finding – that philanthropy is very similar. It’s not easy. It’s really hard.’

Bezos had been criticized in the past for not signing the Giving Pledge, the campaign launched by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffet to encourage billionaires to donate their wealth through philanthropy.

Scott signed that pledge in 2019 and has since emerged as a formidable force in the world of philanthropy, showering charities throughout the country with unexpected – and often secretive – contributions.

In the past three years, she’s given more than $12 billion to historically black colleges and universities, women’s rights group and other non-profits.

Bezos, who divorced from Scott in 2019, stepped down as Amazon CEO last year to devote more time to philanthropy and other projects.

Among other donations, he’s pledged $10 billion to fight climate change as part of his Bezos Earth Fund initiative.

Last year, he gave $510.7 million to charity, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Last week Bezos awarded $100million to Dolly Parton to give children access to books globally.

Parton, 76, became the latest recipient of the Courage and Civility award at the Bezos Awards. The recipient is given $100million to ‘direct to the charities that they see fit.’

The beloved singer seemed shocked when she was awarded the mammoth sum of money – adding: ‘Did you say $100million?’

‘I’ve always said: I try to put my money where my heart is,’ the country music legend said as she accepted her award. ‘I will do my best to do good things with this money,’ she pledged.

The couple say they wanted to bring a ‘little bit of light’ to the people who use unity instead of conflict to resolve issues.

‘We wanted to amplify their voices because the voices that are really negative seem to get amplified in this world,’ she said. ‘The work that we’re doing with the Bezos Courage and Civility Award I think needs to have a voice,’ Sanchez added.

‘And the people that we’ve chosen so far, Van Jones, Jose Andres, Dolly Parton, they all have such stories to tell. I just feel honored to be able to be a part of what they’re doing for this world.’

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Business

Elon Musk’s Wealth Drops by $8.6 Billion in One Day

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Photo: Win McNamee (Getty Images)

Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter CEO Elon Musk saw his wealth plummet by $100 billion dollars this year, bringing his net worth to somewhere between $170 billion and $182 billion, according to estimates from Bloomberg and Forbes. That’s down from an estimated $340 billion in November 2021. The drop comes as Tesla shares decreased to a two-year low this week, reducing Musk’s wealth by about $8.6 billion in just one day.

Musk reportedly owns around a 15 percent stake in Tesla shares which has decreased by 58.03% year to date, according to Bloomberg. He sold nearly $15.5 billion of his Tesla stock to finance his purchase of Twitter earlier this month.

Tesla accounts for the bulk of Musk’s fortune but has faced revenue decreases due to the ongoing covid-19 restrictions in China and a recent recall of 300,000 Tesla vehicles due to faulty taillights in addition to soaring costs of materials. His net worth continued to take a hit after he acquired Twitter for $44 billion—the largest buyout of a technology company in history.

Musk also had to recently defend the near $56 billion payment package Tesla handed him years ago in court. Richard Tornetta, who owns some Tesla shares, filed the lawsuit back in 2019 claiming the Tesla board offered Musk an overly generous pay package even though he was spending only about half his time at the electric car maker. His new hobby as ‘Chief Twit’ has only amplified claims that he’s spreading himself too thin.

Despite the setbacks, Musk still remains the wealthiest person in the world, coming in above the runner-up, Bernard Arnault, by around $65 billion. Musk is not the only tech executive whose net worth has dropped this year, as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’, and Alphabet co-founder Larry Page have all also experienced significant financial setbacks according to Bloomberg.

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Business

Jeff Bezos Warns Of Recession, Advises People Not To Buy TV, Fridge This Holiday Season

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“Economy does not look good right now,” Jeff Bezos stated. (File)

Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos recently warned consumers and businesses that they should consider postponing large purchases during the holiday season as an economic recession might be in the offing. 

Speaking to CNN, the business tycoon advised consumers to keep their cash safe and avoid unnecessary spending in the coming months. He recommended that American families avoid the purchase of big-ticket items such as new cars and TVs as the United States is staring at a recession. 

“Take some risk off the table,” Mr Bezos advised people, adding, “Keep some dry powder on hand…. Just a little bit of risk reduction could make the difference for that small business, if we do get into even more serious economic problems. You’ve got to play the probabilities a little bit.” 

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He further said, “If you’re an individual considering to purchase a big-screen TV, you might want to wait, hold onto your money, and see what transpires. The same is true with a new automobile, refrigerator, or whatever else. Just remove some risk from the equation.” 

Mr Bezos also went on to state that the “economy does not look good right now”. “Things are slowing down. You’re seeing layoffs in many many sectors of the economy,” he told the outlet. 

Separately, in the same interview, the Amazon founder said that he will donate the majority of his $124 billion net worth to charities in order to combat climate change and to support people who can unify humanity amid growing social and political divisions. Mr Bezos did not specify how much of his wealth he is planning to give away. However, when asked if he will be donating a major portion of his wealth to charity during his lifetime, he replied, “Yeah, I do”.

Jeff Bezos is currently the executive president of Amazon, having stepped down from his previous role of CEO (Chief executive officer) last year. 

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Jeff Bezos’ top tips for managing the economic downturn

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Washington
CNN Business
 — 

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently warned consumers and businesses they should consider postponing large purchases in the coming months as the global economy contends with a downturn and faces a possible recession.

The business leader offered his starkest advice yet on a faltering economy in an exclusive sit-down interview with CNN’s Chloe Melas on Saturday at Bezos’ Washington, DC, home.

Bezos urged people to put off expenditures for big-ticket items such as new cars, televisions and appliances, noting that delaying big purchases is the surest way to keep some “dry powder” in the event of a prolonged economic downturn. Meanwhile, small businesses may want to avoid making large capital expenditures or acquisitions during this uncertain time, Bezos added.

If enough consumers follow through with Bezos’ advice, it could mean lower sales for Amazon, the e-commerce giant Bezos founded and that created the vast majority of the billionaire’s wealth.

The New York Times reported Monday that Amazon plans to slash its workforce, laying off 10,000 workers, the largest reduction in the company’s history. That’s in addition to a previously announced hiring freeze in its corporate workforce. The company is second only to Walmart in the number of people it employs in the United States.

Amazon

(AMZN) said in October it expects sales for the final three months of the year to be significantly below Wall Street’s expectations. The weaker forecast came as rising inflation and looming recession fears weigh on consumer purchasing decisions as Americans focus more on travel and dining out and less on buying discretionary goods.

The company’s stock has fallen more than 40% as surging prices and changing customer behavior weigh on Amazon and the broader tech sector.

Bezos said the probability of economic conditions worsening makes it prudent to save some cash if it’s an option.

“Take some risk off the table,” he said. “Just a little bit of risk reduction could make the difference.”

Last month, Bezos tweeted a warning to his followers on Twitter, recommending that they “batten down the hatches.” The advice was meant for business owners and consumers alike, Bezos said in the interview.

Many may be feeling the pinch now, he added, but argued that as an optimist he believes the American Dream “is and will be even more attainable in the future” — projecting that within his own lifetime, space travel could become broadly accessible to the public.

Although the US economy is not, technically, in a recession, nearly 75% of likely voters in a recent CNN poll said they feel as though it is. Wages are up, but not enough to take the sting off inflation, most notably high prices of necessities like food, fuel and shelter. For those invested in stocks, it’s not been a great year, either, and that’s especially hard on retirees who are living off their investments.

Other business leaders have issued similar messages about the economy in recent months. Tesla

(TSLA) and Twitter CEO Elon Musk last month admitted demand for Tesla

(TSLA)s was “a little harder” to come by, and noted that Europe and China are experiencing a “recession of sorts.” Musk also warned that Tesla

(TSLA) would fall short of its sales growth target.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in October spooked the stock market by saying a recession could hit the United States in as little as six to nine months.

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Jeff Bezos for the first time says he will give most of his money to charity

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Washington
CNN Business
 — 

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos plans to give away the majority of his $124 billion net worth during his lifetime, telling CNN in an exclusive interview he will devote the bulk of his wealth to fighting climate change and supporting people who can unify humanity in the face of deep social and political divisions.

Though Bezos’ vow was light on specifics, this marks the first time he has announced that he plans to give away most of his money. Critics have chided Bezos for not signing the Giving Pledge, a promise by hundreds of the world’s richest people to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.

Exclusive: Jeff Bezos offers his advice on taking risks right now


01:50

– Source:
CNN

In a sit-down interview with CNN’s Chloe Melas on Saturday at his Washington, DC, home, Bezos, speaking alongside his partner, the journalist-turned-philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, said the couple is “building the capacity to be able to give away this money.”

Asked directly by CNN whether he intends to donate the majority of his wealth within his lifetime, Bezos said: “Yeah, I do.”

Bezos said he and Sánchez agreed to their first interview together since they began dating in 2019 to help shine a spotlight on the Bezos Courage and Civility Award, granted this year to musician Dolly Parton.

The 20-minute exchange with Bezos and Sánchez covered a broad range of topics, from Bezos’s views on political dialogue and a possible economic recession to Sánchez’s plan to visit outer space with an all-female crew and her reflections on a flourishing business partnership with Bezos.

That working relationship was on display Saturday as Bezos and Sánchez announced a $100 million grant to Parton as part of her Courage and Civility Award. It is the third such award, following similar grants to chef Jose Andrés, who has spent some of the money making meals for Ukrainians — and the climate advocate and CNN contributor Van Jones.

“When you think of Dolly,” said Sánchez in the interview, “Look, everyone smiles, right? She is just beaming with light. And all she wants to do is bring light into other people’s worlds. And so we couldn’t have thought of someone better than to give this award to Dolly, and we know she’s going to do amazing things with it.”

The throughline connecting the Courage and Civility Award grantees, Bezos said, was their capacity to bring many people together to solve large challenges.

“I just feel honored to be able to be a part of what they’re doing for this world,” Bezos told CNN.

Unity, Bezos said, is a trait that will be necessary to confront climate change and one that he repeatedly invoked as he blasted politicians and social media for amplifying division.

But the couple’s biggest challenge may be figuring out how to distribute Bezos’ vast fortune. Bezos declined to identify a specific percentage or to provide concrete details on where it would likely be spent.

Despite being the fourth-wealthiest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos has refrained from setting a target amount to give away in his lifetime.

Bezos has committed $10 billion over 10 years, or about 8% of his current net worth, to the Bezos Earth Fund, which Sánchez co-chairs. Among its priorities are reducing the carbon footprint of construction-grade cement and steel; pushing financial regulators to consider climate-related risks; advancing data and mapping technologies to monitor carbon emissions; and building natural, plant-based carbon sinks on a large scale.

Though Bezos is now Amazon’s

(AMZN) executive chair and not its CEO — he stepped down from that role in 2021 — he is still involved in the greening of the company. Amazon is one of more than 300 companies that have pledged to reduce their carbon footprint by 2040 according to the principles of the Paris Climate Agreement, Bezos said, though Amazon’s

(AMZN) footprint grew by 18% in 2021, reflecting a pandemic-driven e-commerce boom. Amazon’s

(AMZN) reckoning with its own effect on the climate mirrors its outsized impact on everything from debates about unionization to antitrust policy, where the company has attracted an enormous level of scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and civil society groups.

Bezos compared his philanthropic strategy to his years-long effort constructing a titanic engine of e-commerce and cloud computing that has made him one of the most powerful people in the world.

“The hard part is figuring out how to do it in a levered way,” he said, implying that even as he gives away his billions, he is still looking to maximize his return. “It’s not easy. Building Amazon was not easy. It took a lot of hard work, a bunch of very smart teammates, hard-working teammates, and I’m finding — and I think Lauren is finding the same thing — that charity, philanthropy, is very similar.”

“There are a bunch of ways that I think you could do ineffective things, too,” he added. “So you have to think about it carefully and you have to have brilliant people on the team.”

Bezos’ methodical approach to giving stands in sharp contrast to that of his ex-wife, the philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, who recently gave away nearly $4 billion to 465 organizations in the span of less than a year.

While Bezos and Sánchez plot out their plans for Bezos’ immense wealth, many people of more modest means are bracing for what economists fear may be an extended economic downturn.

Last month, Bezos tweeted a warning to his followers on Twitter, recommending that they “batten down the hatches.”

The advice was meant for business owners and consumers alike, Bezos said in the interview, suggesting that individuals should consider putting off buying big ticket items they’ve been eyeing — or that companies should slow their acquisitions and capital expenditures.

“Take some risk off the table,” Bezos said. “Keep some dry powder on hand…. Just a little bit of risk reduction could make the difference for that small business, if we do get into even more serious economic problems. You’ve got to play the probabilities a little bit.”

Many may be feeling the pinch now, he added, but argued that as an optimist he believes the American Dream “is and will be even more attainable in the future” — projecting that within Bezos’ lifetime, space travel could become broadly accessible to the public.

Sánchez said the couple make “really great teammates,” though she laughed, “We can be kind of boring,” Sánchez said. Bezos smiled and replied, “Never boring.”

Sánchez, the founder of Black Ops Aviation, the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company is a trained helicopter pilot. She said in the interview that they’ve both taken turns in the driver’s seat.

Bezos has credited his own journey to space for helping to inspire his push to fight climate change. Now, it is Sánchez’s turn.

Sánchez told CNN she anticipates venturing into orbit herself sometime in 2023. And while she did not directly address who will be joining her — quickly ruling out Bezos as a crewmate — she said simply: “It’ll be a great group of females.”

Bezos may be adding NFL owner to his resume. CNN recently reported that Bezos and Jay-Z are in talks on a potential joint bid on the Washington Commanders.

It is not clear if the two have yet spoken with Dan Snyder and his wife, Tanya, the current owners of the NFL team, about the possibility.

But during the interview on Saturday, Melas asked Bezos if the speculation was true.

“Yes, I’ve heard that buzz,” Bezos said with a smile.

Sánchez chimed in with a laugh, “I do like football. I’m just going to throw that out there for everyone.”

Bezos added, “I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I played football growing up as a kid … and it is my favorite sport … so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

– CNN’s Chloe Melas contributed to this report



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Dolly Parton receives $100 million Courage and Civility Award from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez

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CNN
 — 

Dolly Parton is the latest recipient of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award.

“Jeff [Bezos] and I are so proud to share that we have a new Bezos Courage and Civility Award winner — a woman who gives with her heart and leads with love and compassion in every aspect of her work,” Bezos’ longtime partner, Lauren Sanchez, posted on Instagram alongside a video of their speech Friday before awarding the grant to the country music legend. “We can’t wait to see all the good that you’re going to do with this $100 million award, @DollyParton.”

Parton is also known for her philanthropy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s vaccine research efforts. It was partly used to fund Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.

She said in an interview at the time with BBC’s “The One Show,” that she felt “honored and proud.”

“I just felt so proud to have been part of that little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world,” she said. “I’m a very proud girl today to know I had anything at all to do with something that’s going to help us through this crazy pandemic.”

In 1988, Parton established the Dollywood Foundation, and eventually The Imagination Library, a program that helps children across the world access books.

Among her philanthropic efforts in her home state of Tennessee, Parton also created the Dolly Parton Scholarship, which provides $15,000 to recipients towards a college education.

Last year, Bezos awarded $100 million each to CNN contributor Van Jones and chef José Andrés.

Bezos, the founder and former head of Amazon.com, said at a press conference at the time that the grant had no string attached.

“They can give it all to their own charity,” Bezos said last year. “Or they can share the wealth. It is up to them.”



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