Amazon faces multiple US antitrust probes as the coronavirus cements its dominance in online retail

* Amazon is the subject of two preliminary antitrust probes in California and Washington State. * The probes center on whether Amazon uses its marketplace to give advantage to its own products to the detriment of third-party sellers. * The EU is reportedly gearing up to announce formal charges this month following an investigation into the same allegations. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Amazon faces increased competition scrutiny even as the pandemic sends its retail business skyrocketing. Investigators in two US states, California and Washington, are reportedly gearing up to launch antitrust probes into Amazon over whether it uses its marketplace to favor its own products over those of third-party sellers. Questions over Amazon's dual role running a retail platform while selling its own products on that platform are not new, but a Wall Street Journal report from April that Amazon employees were using sales data to develop products for the company thrust them back into the spotlight, and prompted Senator Josh Hawley to request a Department of Justice investigation. In addition to being individually scrutinized, Amazon is being folded into more general national antitrust investigations into big tech. Axios reported Saturday a House tech competition probe has written to the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, and Facebook requesting they testify in July. The letters sent by the committee reportedly contained reminders that subpoenas could be used to compel CEOs to testify and provide documents. Meanwhile the EU is reportedly getting ready to file formal antitrust charges against Amazon following its investigation into similar allegations. Once the charges are filed, the European Commission will rule on them, a process that could take a year and result in a fine of up to 10% of Amazon's annual turnover. These investigations are ramping up and coming to a head as Amazon deals with unprecedented demand. The company made $36.7 billion in net sales in the first quarter of 2020, meaning its fastest e-commerce growth in three years. But Amazon's physical sales aren't the only element of its business model which has been called into question. In a June 11 union meeting, former Amazon exec and engineer Tim Bray said the company should be split up as its cloud computing business accounts for the bulk of its profit, allowing it to prop up the other parts of its business. SEE ALSO: Amazon's cloud generated over $10 billion in net quarterly sales for the first time ever — up 33% from a year ago Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: A cleaning expert reveals her 3-step method for cleaning your entire home quickly
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Apple has backed down in its latest developer fight, apologizing to WordPress after it pressured the website-builder to add in-app payments

* Apple has apologized after it tried to force WordPress to add in-app payment options to a free app. * WordPress' founder said on Friday that Apple was refusing to allow any updates to the WordPress iOS app until the website builder added in-app purchases, from which Apple takes a 15-30% commission. * Apple is in a fierce fight with developers including "Fortnite" maker Epic Games and Spotify over its rules on in-app purchases. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Apple has backed down in its latest skirmish with a developer over its App Store rules. The tech giant on Sunday issued a rare apology to WordPress after it pressured the website builder to add payment options to its free iOS app, or else be blocked from updating. "We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved," an Apple spokesman told The Verge. "Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free st...

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX. Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...

What an independent contractor actually is and how it's classified under California's Assembly Bill 5, the gig worker law Uber, Lyft, and others are fighting with a November ballot measure

* California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect in January, adopting a narrow definition of independent contractor that forces Uber and other gig economy businesses to choose between reclassifying workers as employees or risking significant liability for misclassification. * The law serves as a reminder to California businesses to be careful when classifying workers as contractors. * Classifying independent contractors falls into two main categories: the "right to control" test (often called the "IRS test") and the tougher "ABC test" recently adopted in AB5. * Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have recently poured $30 million into Proposition 22 — a ballot measure intended to exempt major ridesharing and food delivery companies from AB5. If California residents vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft can continue classifying drivers as contractors. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September 2019, Californ...

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