Not trying to be pedantic, but isn't every business trying to separate "your money from your wallet in exchange for some product or service?" The only potential difference I could see (looking at it through this lens) is whether it's a consumer or business oriented company.
For what it's worth, I'd categorize Amazon as (principally) an eCommerce company.
I suppose that is so. I meant more in the sense that all of the tech they develop makes it easier for consumers to consume other products and services. Their tech isn't an "end game". I.e. They're not making things like smart fridges, rc cars, and etc. (Yet - unless that smart fridge allows you to order the products they sell and watch their streaming video in the kitchen.) All (maybe most?) of their tech products facilitate the purchase of the products made by other companies, whether it be allowing the consumer to purchase things easier, or enhancing their fulfillment process to get the products to the consumer faster. I guess I was more debating the fact that some like to classify them as a predominantly tech company, but I neglected to actually say that.
Interesting article. It has been a long time since I have worked this "close to the metal." Back when I coded at the machine level, there were no branch predictions performed by the processor to help maintain the pipeline. What you had were different opcodes for your conditional jumps - 1 for when the jump was likely, 1 for when it was not. It had amazed me (a bit) that never got reflected in higher level languages. Now that I see that the processor makes (educated?) guesses, I suppose I am no longer surprised.
This doesn't seem to offer much more than TiVo. Based on Google's 2 minute pitch, much of what they promised is already available on the Gen 3 TiVo: record programs, Netflix, YouTube, video on demand, photos. The only things I saw that were new were a "global" search capability and bookmarks. Is that enough of a difference maker? Probably not. Maybe if there was some other benefit thrown in (aka no recurring service fees).
What is remarkable to me is that Southwest Airlines has yet to have a passenger die in an aviation accident. And they carry about 100 million passengers per year these days.
I guess you are trying to be funny, but I don't see the point. Your first 3 points are clearly false (the 4th is not clearly so). Are you suggesting that there is benefit to the pursuit itself? If so, then yes it is good that we developed the shuttle... but why continue to use it?
Agree with all the points on price anchoring... but $499 does not seem cheap to me at all for what you get with the entry level iPad. Maybe I need to watch Jobs presentation?
Agree with others that this seems like a really bad idea. I'll throw another reason into the ring - the "Make terrible Foul calls on him" part. An interview is a two-way process. If my would-be co-workers are calling Mickey Mouse, ticky-tack fouls, _I'm_ going to think that _they_ are (to use a word from the article) dicks and less than fun to work with.
The "TL;DR" doesn't cover it, but in the chapter the previous commenter references, he does explain why it's a logical fallacy. At the risk of putting something incomplete and/or incorrect, TL;DR summary of the explanation of the fallacy is that the productivity saved by automation is always available to fuel further production.
Perhaps you are not asking for legal advice... but I think the point is that you should be... if want assurance that the answer you receive is correct.
You will hear from people who have been in this sort of situation, but not the same situation. For example, their employment contracts likely differ from yours.
For what it's worth, I'd categorize Amazon as (principally) an eCommerce company.