The Inside Job
“Your prostate feels completely normal. Do you want me to renew your Prime membership while I’m in here?”
The Intel Inside campaign referred to the fact that their chips were featured inside some of your favorite devices. But many of today’s mega tech companies want to get a whole lot deeper inside than that. Amazon started to get to know you from a relative distance. They just knew where you lived and what books you liked. As they grew into the everything store, they started to know all about you at each cycle of your life, from the diapers delivered just ahead of your birth to everything you purchased from then on. But that wasn’t enough. After the Whole Foods acquisition, Amazon not only knew what you received at your front door, it knew what you consumed. Its online pharmacy business then added in data about which illnesses you’ve had and which pills you pop. Maybe that’s why the last time you bought ice cream at Whole Foods the checker asked, “Are you really sure you need this? The one time bookstore will really become Amazon Inside with the purchase of One Medical, a primary health-care provider, for just under $4 billion. Amazon now employs everyone from dock workers to working docs, and they know who you are, what you buy, what you take, your medical history, and your current vital signs. It will be interesting to see which products their algoritm surfaces to entice your next purchase. It’s probably bad news if, after your doctor’s visit, Amazon says customers like you frequently buy coffins (yes, Amazon sells those too.) The good news is that based on your buying history, you’ve qualified for heaven. Free shipping included.