Topic: Amazon Basics

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang appears on Tucker Carlson Tonight to advocate for a Value-Added Tax (VAT) to capture revenue from tech giants like Amazon and Netflix. Yang argues that a VAT is harder to game than corporate income tax and could fund a "Freedom Dividend." The hosts criticize the proposal as a regressive tax on consumers, drawing on their personal experiences living under VAT systems in Europe.

Voice-based ordering through devices like Amazon Alexa is predicted to accelerate the "death of brand" by removing visual packaging and design from the consumer's choice. When users ask Alexa to "buy batteries," the system defaults to Amazon Basics rather than offering a selection of name brands. Research indicates that Alexa may also charge higher prices for voice orders compared to the standard Amazon website, exploiting a lack of transparency in the interface.