Behind the Numbers: The Big 3 Questions For Amazon — AI and Jobs, 'Help Me Decide', and Delivery Driver Smart Glasses

Podcast: Behind the Numbers: An EMARKETER Podcast
Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Marcus Johnson
Guest: Rachel Wolff, Retail Briefings Analyst

Episode Overview

This episode explores "The Big 3" questions currently shaping Amazon's future, focusing on workforce changes amidst AI investment, innovation in customer decision-making tools, and the advent of AI-enabled devices for delivery workers. Marcus and Rachel analyze these issues through the lens of retail, technology, and labor, considering both the immediate impact and long-term implications for Amazon and the larger market.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amazon’s Corporate Layoffs and the Role of AI

Is AI really the cause behind massive layoffs, or is the situation more complex?

• Scope of Layoffs: Amazon announced plans to lay off approximately 14,000 corporate workers (some estimates up to 30,000 when including other adjustments) even as it hires in certain areas. [(03:16)]
• Rationale:
  • AI investment is often seen as a catalyst, but Amazon claims reductions aren't "AI-driven" or "financially-driven."
  • Company leadership cites "right-sizing" post-pandemic, bureaucracy reduction, and pursuit of increased efficiency.
  • AWS cloud division growth is strong, but not as fast as competitors like Microsoft—creating investor pressure. [(04:07)]
• Broader Market Implications:
  • As the world’s second-largest private sector employer, Amazon’s labor moves are seen as a bellwether for wider job market trends.
  • Despite headlines, research (Yale/ Brookings, World Economic Forum) shows limited direct AI-driven job losses to date. [(06:46), (08:52)]
  • Retail exec surveys: just 1 in 5 expects headcount reduction due to AI in the next year; more expect to upskill or hire.
  • Most layoffs in the broader market driven by government cuts or business churn, not AI.
• Automation in Fulfillment:
  • Ongoing automation push—reports of plans to replace up to 500,000 fulfillment center jobs with robots. [(08:14)]
  • Rachel: “AI is not the job stealer that people think it is at the present moment… but in some ways, Amazon's claims that AI had nothing to do with it is kind of disingenuous.” [(06:03)]
• Public Perception vs. Data:
  • Cognitive dissonance: Amazon earned $180B and $21B profit in Q3, yet announced significant cuts [(09:25)]
  • “If Amazon’s not doing well, what does that say for the rest of us?” — Marcus [(10:21)]

2. The 'Help Me Decide' Feature: Next-Gen AI for Shopping

Is Amazon’s new AI-powered recommendation tool a step toward ‘agentic’ commerce?

• Feature Description:
  • “Help Me Decide” is an AI-driven tool appearing when users browse similar products without purchasing. It analyzes browsing, search, purchase history, and preferences to make recommendations—explaining why and referencing reviews and individual shopping patterns. [(11:01)]
• Experimental AI Touchpoints:
  • "Rufus" AI assistant: 250M users this year, 140%+ increase in MAUs, and 60% higher conversion rate among users. [(11:30)]
  • Rachel: “Customers who use Rufus are 60% more likely to complete a purchase.” [(11:44)]
• Comparison Shopping Evolution:
  • Instead of classic side-by-side comparison, “Help Me Decide” presents a main, upgrade, and budget recommendation—potentially shifting shopper behavior.
  • “It could move shoppers up or down in price range… versus left to right like traditional comparisons.” — Marcus [(12:44)]
• Transparency and Ads:
  • Concerns: How are these recommendations determined? Are Amazon ads or house brands influencing "best picks"?
  • Rachel: “What does this mean for Amazon’s ad business, when most of the money that it makes comes from search placements?” [(14:18)]
• Agentic Commerce and Third Parties:
  • Amazon tightly controls which AI agents (like ChatGPT, Perplexity) can transact on its site, in contrast to Walmart’s more open stance.
  • Rachel: “If more people are using ChatGPT or Perplexity... it sort of takes Amazon out of the equation… they lose ad revenue, they lose customer data.” [(21:33)]

3. AI Smart Glasses for Delivery Drivers

Are Amazon's AI-enabled glasses the gateway to widespread smart wearable adoption?

• Tech Overview:
  • "Amelia" smart glasses (camera, display, button integration) help delivery drivers sort, guide, and document deliveries without phones.
  • Provides navigation, photo confirmation, package location assistance; claims to save up to 30 minutes per 8–10 hour shift [(16:29)]
• Efficiency, Safety, and Privacy:
  • Safety: Glasses deactivate in moving vehicles; prescription lens support built-in.
  • Privacy: Data collection raises questions—especially as mapping, location, and behavior data is amassed.
  • Rachel: “It is a lot of data that people may not be comfortable giving up… the more you hand it over to AI, the easier it is to eventually hand it over to say, a robot delivery thing.” [(17:45)]
• Social Acceptance:
  • Marcus: The workplace could “normalize” smart glasses for broader acceptance, as the device is seen as a functional tool, not an always-on surveillance gadget. [(18:32)]
  • Rachel: “How many Amazon workers are going to be using these? … They might see the benefits in other areas of their lives as well.” [(19:50)]
  • Subtle design means most people might not even notice drivers are using them. [(20:09)]
• Stepwise Progression:
  • Both agree that this is a “baby step” towards potential mainstream adoption of smart glasses and further automation of last-mile delivery.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI, jobs, and perception:
  • Marcus (06:03): “It does feel more like the headlines are scaring people into thinking this is happening right now, when actually companies are kind of maybe planning that this will change things in the future.”
  • Rachel (06:03): “AI is not the job stealer that people think it is at the present moment. But I do also think that in some ways Amazon's claims that AI had nothing to do with it is kind of disingenuous..."
• On 'Help Me Decide' and shopper influence:
  • Rachel (11:44): “Customers who use Rufus are 60% more likely to complete a purchase.”
  • Marcus (12:44): “It could move shoppers up or down in price range… versus left to right like traditional comparisons.”
  • Rachel (14:18): “There's also the question of what does this mean for Amazon's ad business when most of the money that it makes comes from search placements.”
• On AI glasses and workforce automation:
  • Marcus (19:01): “It does seem like at some point it'll be very easy to pluck the human element out of this and replace it with whatever a cyborg robot drone replacement looks like.”
  • Rachel (17:45): “It is a lot of data that people may not be comfortable giving up… the more that you hand it over to AI to make those decisions, the easier it is to eventually hand it over to say, a robot delivery thing.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:16] – Amazon’s Corporate Layoffs & AI’s Role
• [06:03] – Is AI actually causing job losses? Research insights
• [08:14] – Automation in Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers
• [11:01] – Amazon’s 'Help Me Decide' Feature: How Does it Work?
• [11:44] – Adoption and impact of Rufus AI in shopping
• [12:44] – New comparison shopping model via AI
• [14:18] – Ad business implications of AI-driven recommendations
• [15:29] – AI Smart Glasses: ‘Amelia’ pilot for delivery drivers described
• [16:29] – Efficiency gains from smart glasses
• [17:45] – Data privacy and the automation pipeline
• [18:32] – Societal normalization of smart glasses through workforce adoption
• [21:33] – Amazon vs. Walmart in agentic commerce strategy
• [23:07] – Brief commentary on Amazon Fresh and grocery challenges

Additional Topics Touched On

• Agentic commerce and Amazon’s defensive legal actions against third-party AI (Perplexity, Google, OpenAI) [(21:33)]
• Amazon Fresh’s U.K. withdrawal and broader grocery struggles [(23:07)]
• Elongation of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, and recent $2.5B FTC settlement—flagged as interesting but not top three stories [(24:08)]

Tone and Takeaway

The episode balances industry analysis with practical retailer implications, maintaining a conversational, candid tone throughout. Marcus and Rachel bring skepticism toward headline-driven narratives around AI and job loss, stress the importance of transparency in AI-driven features, and offer nuance on both the technical leaps and public skepticism inherent in Amazon’s AI strategy.

Highly recommended for anyone looking to understand Amazon’s current inflection points—and where retail innovation might go next.