News Summary

• Amazon needs its upcoming subscription version of Alexa to drive revenue in ways that its voice assistant never has before.Amazon declined Ars' request for comment on the report..
• For example, people who already pay for an existing Amazon service, such as Amazon Music, might not be willing to pay additional money to get access to the newer version of Alexa..
• ""There is tension over whether people will pay for Alexa or not," one of the anonymous Amazon workers reportedly said.Amazon hasn't publicly confirmed a release date for generative AI Alexa..
• But Insider's report, citing “internal documents and people familiar with the matter,” said Amazon has been planning to release its subscription plan on June 30..
• Amazon will be challenged to convince people to change how they use Alexa while suddenly paying a monthly rate to enable that unprecedented behavior.Workers within Amazon seemingly see this obstacle..
• Scharon Harding - Jan 18, 2024 11:04 pm UTC “If this fails to get revenue, Alexa is in trouble.”A quote from an anonymous Amazon employee in a Wednesday Business Insider report paints a dire picture..