by Jonathan P-Wright | Nov 10, 2023 | Business News, Latest |
Image credit: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com
Amazon, the e-commerce giant, is altering its grocery delivery model in a bid to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving online grocery landscape. The company’s revised strategy for its grocery service, Amazon Fresh, could prove to be a significant turning point in the industry.
A Shift Towards Inclusivity
Amazon has announced changes to its grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh, aiming to make it more competitive with rivals like Instacart, Walmart, Target-owned Shipt, and DoorDash. The most significant alteration? Customers no longer need an Amazon Prime membership to order groceries for delivery or free pickup from Amazon Fresh.
This move allows non-Prime members to avail themselves of Amazon Fresh’s services, giving the company a broader customer base. It is expected to roll out in locations across the U.S., where Amazon Fresh is offered, and soon, a similar option will be made available to Whole Foods shoppers.
Expanded Service and Delivery Options
According to the company, once this expansion phase is completed, customers in more than 3,500 U.S. cities and towns will have the option of ordering two-hour grocery delivery from either Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods Market, depending on availability.
In addition to this, Amazon shoppers can now order from local grocers and specialty shops through the Amazon website. These include stores like Bristol Farms, Cardenas Markets, Pet Food Express, Weis Markets, and Save Mart.
Pricing and Discounts
While Amazon Fresh is not a free service, even for Prime members, Amazon’s membership program will offer several discounts. For example, Fresh orders over $100 will still be free if you have a Prime membership, and won’t include a delivery fee. Meanwhile, two-hour deliveries will include a service fee of $6.95 for orders ranging from $50-$100, and $9.95 for deliveries under $50, for Prime members.
Non-members will be charged between $7.95-$13.95 depending on their basket size and the delivery window selected. Flexible orders with delivery times of up to six hours may also receive a fee reduction, while rushed orders may include additional fees.
Grocery Pickup and More
For grocery pickup with Amazon Fresh, the company offers stores in California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Washington State. Some of these stores will also offer Amazon’s cashierless payment option, Just Walk Out where customers pay with a palm reader.
Both Amazon Fresh stores and Whole Foods Market locations can also be used for package pickup and return for Amazon.com orders, and those using this service in Fresh stores will receive coupons to use in-store.
The Bigger Picture: Amazon’s Grocery Market Position
This significant move of broadening Amazon’s grocery reach is indicative of how far Amazon has fallen behind in the broader online grocery market. Operating different grocery brands has led to consumer confusion — particularly in markets where both services are available with their own unique product selections.
by Enaysha Thompson | Sep 12, 2023 | Business News, Latest, Tech News |
Image Credit: Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash
The autonomous driving scene in Europe is about to get shaken up. Deeproute.ai, an autonomous driving startup headquartered in Shenzhen, China, has plans to set up an operations center in Germany by 2024. The company, which has received over $350 million in funding and employs more than 500 employees worldwide, is the latest Chinese mobility upstart to establish a physical presence in Germany, home to some of the world’s largest automakers.
The move marks a significant step in the company’s global expansion strategy, which aims to collaborate with more local automakers and support OEM partners on smart driving mass production.
Unveiling The Plan
The announcement came during the International Motor Show Germany in Munich, where several Chinese mobility players marked their presence. The company has also revealed its plans to roll out its production-ready autonomous driving solution in Germany next year, with other European markets to follow.
Tech Behind The Wheel: Drive 3.0
The solution, dubbed Drive 3.0, works without HD maps and includes features like valet park assist. With a competitive hardware price of $2,000, the system is quite compelling. This affordability is largely thanks to Deeproute’s collaboration with its competitively priced Chinese lidar suppliers. Powering the system is Nvidia’s Drive Orin system-on-a-chip.
The Operations Center: A Mystery Unfolding
Details about the operations center remain sparse at this point. Deeproute has shared that it plans to hire a business development team in Germany, but the specifics about the operations center’s roles and responsibilities, as well as its geographical location, are yet to be disclosed.
Learning From History: Momenta’s Foresight
It’s worth noting that Deeproute is not the first Chinese autonomous driving company to establish a base in Germany. Suzhou-based competitor Momenta had the foresight to open an office in Stuttgart two years ago. This strategic move arguably paved the way for Momenta to foster closer relationships with its investor Mercedes-Benz, as well as other European OEMs.
Nio’s Footprint in Germany: A Case Study
Nio, another Chinese premium electric vehicle startup, already has a 1,500-sqm innovation center in Berlin and a design facility in Munich. In addition to these, it also runs a “Nio House,” a stylish members’ club and showroom in the German capital.
Deeproute’s Strategic Shift: From Robotaxi to Production-Ready Car
Like many ambitious Chinese AV startups, Deeproute initially focused on Level 4 driverless technologies to power robotaxis. However, over time, the company shifted its focus to less advanced driving solutions for auto partners, which could generate immediate cash flow. A representative from the company explained that they have been working with OEMs on mass production since last year, which prompted the shift in focus.
Deeproute’s Expanding Customer Base
As of the end of 2022, Deeproute’s services had provided over 800,000 passenger rides, most of which were executed by its robotaxis in major Chinese cities. With its impending expansion into Germany, the company hopes to grow its OEM customer base, which already includes Seres and Geely. A local business development team will be instrumental in connecting with more local automakers.
The Road Ahead: More Chinese Companies to Follow?
With Deeproute’s planned expansion, it’s possible that more Chinese robotaxi companies will consider venturing into Germany. If successful, Deeproute could potentially pave the way for other companies to follow suit, further solidifying China’s presence in the global autonomous driving landscape.
by Derrick T Lewis | Jun 2, 2021 | Business News, Latest, Tech News |
People are saying all kinds of different things about this month’s cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline’s operations, but one thing is for sure, this attack made every American aware of their extreme dependence on a company they’ve never even heard of. Many things need to be talked about this cyberattack, but the name of the company “Colonial” pipeline became a hot debate across the country.
Of all the things that are wrong with the company and it’s name, the branding of the company and its logo is the most disturbing. It is safe to say that the company didn’t bother to do anything about it’s logo and branding since the days of the Kennedy administration while the world kept moving on and kept spending on their branding and advertisement.
Let’s talk a little bit more about the history of this company and try to scratch the reason behind the boring and outdated logo of the company and why they didn’t care about the branding of their company at all.
Shall we?
Nine oil companies in the year 1961 started a joint venture and created a pipeline. The basic purpose of this pipeline was to deliver fuel from Houston to New York without any hurdle. That was the time when marketing was not the utmost priority for companies that were not in the eyes of the public and silently doing their important work for the citizens. Therefore, the branding and naming of the company were considered irrelevant to the public.
However, there was a small private concern that the name of the company should have some relevance and hint of American gravitas, and they thought that the word “Colonial” will do the trick, and somehow it actually did. Therefore, the original and more bulky name “Suwannee Pipe Line Company” was replaced with “Colonial Pipeline” in 1962, and it’s still the same in 2021.
You might already know that back in the day, terms like “National” and “Federal” were used to express the gravity of any company or institute. So, with that logic, the word “Colonial” did just the trick as two of the states that this pipeline was going to connect are the original of the thirteen colonies. However, at the start of the sixties, “Colonial” started to sound like an outdated term, and no one was quite very happy with the name of the companies that had this word in them. It is the reason that trademark office record shows a decline of usage of the word from 0.027% to 0.007% in logos of companies.
In today’s world, this word sounds straight away bad and geriatric. People have long realized the negative connotations attached to this word, and they start to see through the strategy of the great empires to colonize the weak and oppress them, and they are calling them out in 2021. Therefore, when the cyberattack happened, and the name of the pipeline company started to make headlines, Americans were not really happy with it.
But, let’s just forget about the name of the company for a while for argument’s sake and have a look at the logo of the company. The logo of the company is its initials “CP” within a cross-sectional view of the pipeline. Given the logo trends in the sixties, it is a pretty clean and clever logo. However, if you see it now, you’ll find it strangely odd and outdated. On the contrary, different companies that had direct customer dealing or are directly relevant with the life of consumers made a lot of effort in improving their logos through their branding campaigns like that of Coca-Cola and General Electric.
So, the real question is why “Colonial Pipeline” didn’t bother to invest in the branding of the company and work on its logo or name, for that matter, until it became a controversy? The answer is simple. The company was silently doing its work, and there was no direct relation of the consumer with the company in their everyday life. Therefore, they never really cared about the need for time and changing their name or logo according to modern standards. It is safe to say that if they had to deal directly with their consumers or if they had a direct customer base, they would have changed it for good a long time ago.
If the past few weeks have revealed anything about the company, it’s that it has failed to meet the modern standards, and it’s pretty outdated. Had it been the center of the public eye, they would have worked on its name and logo and took the branding of the company more seriously.
So, if this cyberattack revealed one thing, its that the branding, especially the name and the logo of company holds a significant importance that is quite often overshadowed by window dressings.
Therefore, from now on, let’s not forget that name and the logo of any brand is the biggest representative of nature and ideology that a company represents. Let this crisis be a lesson for all of us, and may we always be able to stand on the right side of history.
This article was penned by Jonathan P. Wright. Jonathan is a freelance writer for multiple mainstream publications and CVO of RADIOPUSHERS. You can read more of his work by clicking here.
by Jonathan P-Wright | Jul 4, 2025 | Latest, Tech News |
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
In an era dominated by vertical videos, short-form content, and mobile-first behavior, the numbers speak louder than ever: YouTube Shorts is not only winning — it’s dominating. During a major announcement this week, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan unveiled a staggering new milestone that redefines the playing field. YouTube Shorts is now drawing in 200 billion views every single day. This isn’t a monthly number, nor annual—it’s daily.
To put this into perspective, in March 2024, just over a year ago, YouTube Shorts was getting around 70 billion daily views. The platform has since seen a phenomenal growth of 186%, almost tripling its viewership in just 15 months. These numbers push YouTube far beyond competition, cementing its place as the undisputed powerhouse in both short-form and long-form video ecosystems.
YouTube Shorts: The Quiet Giant That Surged Ahead
This explosive growth highlights YouTube’s strategic success in tapping into the short-form content trend that has reshaped how billions consume media. Once seen as a response to TikTok’s meteoric rise, YouTube Shorts has grown from an experiment into a juggernaut.
Interestingly, while YouTube continues to release its metrics publicly, TikTok has remained relatively silent, withholding daily viewership stats for quite some time now. The absence of comparative data from TikTok could indicate that it’s facing challenges keeping up with YouTube’s explosive pace, especially as YouTube continues to scale its ecosystem globally across multiple devices and demographics.
Although TikTok remains hugely influential in pop culture, music discovery, and trend creation, the sheer scale YouTube has achieved is in another league. And it’s not just about views—it’s about infrastructure, longevity, and monetization power.
YouTube Is Now the Future of Television, Too
Beyond the mobile screen, YouTube is now conquering living rooms at an unprecedented scale. Mohan also shared that users now spend over 1 billion hours watching YouTube on TVs every single day. This isn’t just a statistic—it’s a powerful reflection of how video consumption habits have evolved in the last few years.
According to Nielsen’s Gauge report, YouTube accounted for 12.5% of total U.S. TV viewership in May 2025, surpassing all other streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, and even traditional cable channels. For the fourth consecutive month, YouTube has held this leading position, solidifying its status not only as a video-sharing platform but as a next-gen television network.
More telling is that for over half of the 100 most-watched YouTube channels, TVs are now the most-viewed screen. This flips the historical narrative that YouTube is just for phones and desktops. Now, it’s a platform that commands attention on the largest screen in the home.
This shift is crucial because it brings legitimacy and permanence to YouTube in the traditional content space. No longer just a digital alternative, YouTube is becoming the primary destination for both entertainment and information across every screen.
What Makes YouTube’s Ecosystem So Powerful?
A large part of YouTube’s success lies in its multi-format ecosystem. Unlike platforms that limit creators to a single type of content—be it short videos, live streams, or long-form content—YouTube is designed to allow all of it to coexist. This format-flexibility creates a seamless viewer experience and gives creators multiple ways to grow their presence, reach diverse audiences, and monetize their work.
Whether it’s a 15-second skit, a 10-minute tutorial, or a 3-hour podcast, YouTube supports it all within a single platform. It’s also heavily optimized for various devices, from phones to tablets, laptops to smart TVs. This means that creators don’t need to rebuild their audience across platforms—YouTube is their one-stop shop for creative expression and financial sustainability.
This comprehensive approach has allowed YouTube to create something no other platform has: an all-in-one video infrastructure that supports both creator freedom and audience diversity.
YouTube’s AI Push: Enter Veo 3 and Dream Screen
Not one to rest on its laurels, YouTube is already preparing to launch its next big leap in content creation. Mohan teased the upcoming release of Veo 3, a cutting-edge AI video generation model developed by DeepMind, Google’s AI research arm.
This new technology will be integrated into YouTube Shorts later this summer under a feature called Dream Screen. The promise? Better visuals, smoother transitions, sharper animations, and—most notably—AI-generated sound and motion that elevate the quality of short-form video to near-professional standards.
Imagine this: a creator types a prompt like “a futuristic Tokyo street at night with neon rain,” and within seconds, Dream Screen generates that background in high resolution, complete with ambient sound and movement. This level of creative freedom could eliminate the need for expensive tools, filming gear, or visual effects software.
By baking such advanced AI into its core platform, YouTube is empowering creators to push the boundaries of what’s possible, even within a 60-second video. In doing so, it continues to attract creative talent and set a higher bar for what mobile-first content can look like.
Streaming Is No Longer the Future—It’s the Present
YouTube’s rise is part of a larger transformation happening across the entire media landscape. For the first time in history, streaming has overtaken cable and broadcast combined as the primary source of TV consumption in the United States.
Nielsen’s latest figures show that streaming now represents 44.8% of total TV usage, a dramatic rise from just 26% four years ago. Meanwhile, cable has dropped to 24.1% and traditional broadcast sits at 20.1%.
In other words, the old media models are rapidly being replaced by digital platforms that offer on-demand, algorithmically personalized experiences. And YouTube, unlike most others, has successfully captured both the mass appeal and the personalization edge.
As Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao noted, this shift is a pivotal moment in the media industry—a “perfectly timed inflection point,” coinciding with the four-year anniversary of Nielsen’s Gauge report. In this new world, YouTube isn’t just part of the trend—it’s leading it.
Creators Are Flocking to YouTube for One Key Reason: Money
While TikTok may be where trends start, YouTube is increasingly where creators go to build careers. And the numbers back it up.
YouTube offers monetization avenues that other platforms are still trying to figure out. Whether it’s ad revenue sharing, channel memberships, Super Chats, affiliate tools, or the YouTube Partner Program, creators now have more options than ever to turn views into income.
Even with Shorts, YouTube is rolling out performance-based monetization tools that allow creators to earn directly from short-form content—something TikTok’s widely criticized Creator Fund has struggled with.
The platform is also expanding its e-commerce and live shopping features, helping creators turn their videos into virtual storefronts. With real-time product links, affiliate commissions, and audience segmentation tools, YouTube is shortening the creator-to-customer journey drastically.
In contrast, TikTok creators often rely heavily on external sponsorships and brand deals, which aren’t scalable for smaller or mid-tier creators. YouTube, meanwhile, continues to invest in tools that benefit creators at every stage of their journey.
YouTube Is Now More Than a Platform—It’s the New Media Standard
If there’s one takeaway from all these numbers and announcements, it’s this: YouTube has transformed itself from a platform into a media empire.
It’s redefining what it means to be a “TV channel.” It’s building tools for the next generation of creators. It’s expanding reach across mobile and TV screens alike. And with advanced AI like Veo 3 on the horizon, it’s setting the pace for the entire industry to follow.
What started as a site for cat videos and bedroom vloggers is now a technology-driven global network, attracting billions of users daily, empowering creators at every level, and delivering more hours of content to more screens than any other platform in history.
What This Means for the Industry (and the Viewer)
For creators, YouTube represents the most complete toolkit to build a sustainable and scalable video business.
For brands and advertisers, it’s an unrivaled distribution channel that combines reach, targeting, and conversion power.
For consumers, it’s a content universe tailored to personal preferences, discoverable across every screen in the house.
And for everyone else—whether competitor or casual observer—YouTube’s trajectory is a clear signal: the future of media is not just digital. It’s YouTube-shaped.
by Jonathan P-Wright | Jun 19, 2025 | Business News, Latest, Tech News |
Image credit: NRSPro / Shutterstock.com
In a bold and somewhat unexpected shift, Klarna — the Swedish fintech company synonymous with “Buy Now, Pay Later” services — is expanding beyond the boundaries of consumer finance. It is launching a mobile phone service in the United States, offering unlimited 5G data, calls, and texts for just $40 per month. The service will run on AT&T’s infrastructure, leveraging their expansive and reliable network.
This move, while surprising to some, aligns with Klarna’s larger ambition: to become a comprehensive digital platform — one that manages not just how users pay, but how they spend, save, and now stay connected.
Klarna’s Entry Into the MVNO Space
To understand what this means for both Klarna and consumers, it helps to look at the model they’re adopting. Klarna will operate as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). MVNOs are companies that provide mobile services without owning the physical wireless infrastructure themselves. Instead, they lease bandwidth from major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, and repackage it under their own brand with distinct pricing models and customer experiences.
This model is not new — in fact, it’s increasingly common. Well-known brands like Mint Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Visible, Boost Mobile, and Google Fi all function as MVNOs. These providers have carved out strong market positions by offering affordable plans, no long-term contracts, and easy-to-use apps for managing service.
Klarna joins this landscape with a twist: it’s not entering the telecom world as a telecom brand, but as a fintech platform integrating mobile connectivity into a broader digital lifestyle service.
What Makes Klarna’s Plan Different?
Klarna’s $40 mobile plan is marketed as a no-strings-attached package with unlimited 5G data, voice minutes, and text messaging. It’s entirely digital — there are no physical stores involved, and no SIM cards either. Instead, Klarna relies on eSIM technology, allowing users to activate service almost instantly through its app.
Customers can choose to transfer their existing number or get a new one. Everything is managed from within the Klarna mobile app — a central hub that already handles shopping, payment plans, and order tracking for millions of users. Adding mobile service to the app ecosystem creates a more robust value proposition and furthers Klarna’s goal of becoming indispensable in consumers’ daily lives.
The ease and speed of activation, combined with the Klarna brand’s existing trust in digital services, is what sets this launch apart from other MVNOs on the market.
Why Is a Fintech Company Offering Phone Service?
At first glance, Klarna offering phone plans might seem like a bizarre move. But under the surface, it reveals a strategic shift. Klarna has always been more than just a payment processor — it’s aimed to change how people manage money entirely.
The mobile phone service is part of Klarna’s attempt to diversify revenue, broaden its product portfolio, and become a one-stop solution for consumer spending. This comes at a time when Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) products are facing increased regulatory scrutiny in both the U.S. and Europe. If regulations begin to stifle Klarna’s core business, having new income streams from services like telecom could prove invaluable.
Moreover, it gives Klarna new data and new user engagement — customers interacting with the app not just when shopping, but daily as they manage their phone plans.
Klarna’s Fintech Roots — and the BNPL Controversy
Klarna became a household name by popularizing the BNPL model. This service allows shoppers to split their purchases into four equal payments, typically over a span of six weeks, with no interest — as long as they pay on time.
This model has found massive success, especially among younger consumers wary of traditional credit card debt. It’s also been a hit with online retailers, many of whom see higher conversion rates and larger average order values when they offer BNPL options at checkout.
However, the model has raised concerns. A report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in 2024 highlighted troubling patterns among BNPL users. According to the research, people who frequently used BNPL services were more likely to have greater overall debt and experience financial distress.
Meanwhile, a LendingTree study showed that 41% of BNPL users admitted to missing at least one payment in the past year. Critics argue that the BNPL model can normalize compulsive buying and mislead consumers into thinking they’re spending less than they actually are.
Although Klarna and similar companies defend the model as a smart alternative to high-interest credit cards, governments around the world are looking to regulate BNPL more strictly — potentially capping fees, enforcing transparency, and subjecting the services to credit checks.
Interestingly, the Trump administration in the U.S. recently reversed an effort to impose such regulations through the CFPB, opting to delay any immediate action. That gives Klarna some breathing room — but it also underlines the fragility of the BNPL model if political tides shift again.
From BNPL to “Financial Operating System”
In light of these challenges, Klarna is repositioning itself not just as a fintech, but as a “digital financial assistant.” CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski laid out this vision in a conversation with CNBC, explaining that Klarna wants to go beyond helping people pay — it wants to help them manage and optimize every part of their financial life.
Imagine an app that uses AI to detect when you’re overpaying for services like mobile plans, streaming subscriptions, or insurance. It doesn’t just notify you — it helps you switch to a better deal instantly, with a few taps.
That’s the bigger picture Klarna is pursuing: an automated, intelligent platform that understands your spending and helps you cut costs, stay on budget, and find value in unexpected places — like telecom.
By introducing its own mobile service, Klarna can begin controlling both ends of that optimization loop: identifying overspending on phone bills, and offering its own cheaper alternative.
Klarna’s Strength: A Built-In User Base
One of Klarna’s biggest advantages in entering the MVNO market is its existing audience. Millions of people already use the Klarna app — not just to pay for purchases, but to manage orders, set spending limits, or discover deals.
This means Klarna doesn’t need to start from scratch or convince users to download a new app. It can instantly promote the mobile plan to current customers, integrate onboarding within a familiar interface, and offer incentives like discounts or reward points for signing up.
Compare that to most MVNOs, which must rely on external advertising or promotions to grow their user base. Klarna, by contrast, can cross-sell telecom to its already engaged user pool, potentially slashing customer acquisition costs and driving faster adoption.
Competition and Challenges in the MVNO Market
Of course, the U.S. mobile market is already crowded. MVNOs like Visible, Mint Mobile, Google Fi, and Consumer Cellular are well-established, and each has carved out loyal followings with their own distinct value propositions.
Some focus on pricing; others emphasize customer service, network priority, or features like family plans. Klarna’s entry is relatively simple — one $40 unlimited plan, no physical SIM cards, and integration with a financial app.
Whether this simplicity works in its favor or proves too limiting remains to be seen. Many MVNOs have struggled to maintain long-term customer loyalty, as consumers often chase the best deal month-to-month.
Klarna hopes its ecosystem — financial tools, BNPL, rewards, AI automation — will give people a reason to stick around even when competitors offer slightly cheaper mobile plans.
The Super-App Strategy: Klarna’s Long-Term Game
This telecom move is just one step in Klarna’s broader “super-app” vision — a model popularized in Asia by apps like WeChat, Grab, and GoTo, which combine messaging, shopping, payments, transportation, and more into a single app experience.
In the Western market, no one has fully pulled this off yet. But Klarna may be inching closer. If it can successfully integrate telecom into its fintech platform, and eventually introduce other services like insurance, travel booking, investment tools, or even banking features, Klarna could become the West’s first true financial super-app.
This would represent a massive shift from being a niche payment solution to becoming the central nervous system of consumers’ financial lives.
Final Thoughts: Is This the Future of Fintech?
Klarna’s move into telecom may raise eyebrows today, but it reflects a deeper trend: the blurring lines between financial services, consumer tech, and digital infrastructure. Just as Apple went from making computers to offering credit cards and buy-now-pay-later financing, Klarna is shifting from payments to connectivity.
It’s an ambitious leap — one that could either position Klarna as a global leader in financial lifestyle tech or stretch its brand too far beyond its roots.
But Klarna has a track record of spotting emerging consumer needs and turning them into sleek, digital-first experiences. If its mobile service delivers on value, simplicity, and integration, Klarna might not just compete in the telecom space — it could redefine it.
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