Amazon is significantly pivoting its strategy toward AI shopping agents, shifting from a defensive posture to one of adaptation. This move responds to growing disruption from tools developed by OpenAI and Perplexity.
The company previously blocked bots and reportedly sued competitors like Perplexity. Amazon now actively hires for strategic partnerships in 'agentic commerce.' These external tools allow consumers to shop without visiting Amazon’s site directly.
McKinsey projects agentic commerce could become a $1 trillion market in the U.S. by 2030. Amazon is quietly hiring and developing its own tools, such as Rufus. This suggests a new 'frenemy' strategy designed to engage with technology that could reshape its e-commerce dominance.