Amazon Workers Strike in Five Countries

Amazon, one of the most powerful online commerce companies in the world, is currently dealing with protests in five countries. Amazon’s Prime Day, which is today, July 15, is the company’s busiest shopping event of the year. The company also decided to extend the Prime Day discounts for an extra day (until July 16th) for the first time ever. In response, last week, workers in a Minnesota warehouse announced that they would protest, hoping for better pay and improved working conditions.

There are already 2,000 workers on strike in Germany, with more expected to join. The protests have also spread to other European countries, with Amazon workers in the UK, Spain, and Poland also planning on protesting.

An Amazon spokesperson has argued that the protests are “conjuring misinformation”. The spokesperson added: “We can only conclude that the people who plan to attend the events are simply not informed. We encourage anyone to book a tour of our fulfillment centers and compare our overall pay, benefits, and workplace environment to other retailers and major employers across the country.”

Trump Takes Aim At Bitcoin

There has been a considerable amount of controversy over how the cryptocurrency markets should be regulated, given the fact that digital assets are often more volatile than stocks, and the initial coin offering space has been home to many various frauds and Ponzi schemes. For the first time ever, President Donald Trump has weighed in with his opinions about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, and it certainly isn’t positive, according to Forbes. Specifically, Trump tweeted that he is “not a fan” of the entire sector and that the sector also helps to facilitate criminal behavior.

Interestingly enough, Bitcoin’s price rose after the tweet, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the fact that Trump just arguably made millions of individuals aware of the cryptocurrency sector that might not have been too familiar with the space. After all, Trump boasts over 61 million Twitter followers. Many believe that he has now introduced cryptocurrency regulation as a potential platform issue for the 2020 presidential election as well.

The Common Cause Of Breaking Big Tech Up

Politics these days can be extremely polarizing, which is why it is worth noting that both liberals and conservatives appear to be interested in breaking up technological companies such as Facebook and Google, according to The New York TImes. However, many are worried about what will happen afterward. Sabeel Rahman, the president of Demos, a progressive think tank, offers: 

“How do we operationalize this? Who’s doing the moderating? Are these new allies coming in good faith? The devil’s in the details.” While antitrust concerns are not directly linked to the concept of censorship or online speech, many are pointing out that the two issues are more intertwined and relevant than ever.

China’s Silicon Valley And Its Potential

China has long been known for its manufacturing capabilities, but more recently the country is gaining a reputation for having its own Silicon Valley in the area of Zhongguancun, writes The Economist. The government is interested in technology that will aid with respect to “self-dependent innovation’ to make sure that it relies less on outside economies and there’s more money flowing into the region than ever before. Plus, Zhongguancun is also close to some of the most prestigious schools in China, leading many to believe that this trifecta could be a catalyst for creating new companies similar to the tech giants of America.

How To Leverage Events for Marketing Success

From weddings to corporate conferences, late spring and early summer are notorious for being events-heavy. Although events can be costly and time-consuming, they’re incredibly valuable for marketing purposes. Learn how in our latest blog post.