아마존 Fire Phone관련 layoff - 엔지니어가 경영에 참여해야하는 이유

정확히 말하면 아마존에서 디바이스를 맡고 있는 Lab126 인원들 구조조정이지요.

아마존 폰은 Qualcomm chip의 가장 큰 성공작이었던 MSM8974를 쓰고도 유일하게 대박 실패한 작품이지요.

잘못된 경영진의 판단, 상품기획의 실퍠, 마케팅 실패로 인한 오류를 결국 엔지니어가 떠 안게되는 좋은 예가 될것 같습니다. 잘 만들어 놓고도 특정 기술개발이 늦여져 경쟁 스마트폰보다 1년이나 늦게 출시한것은 명백한 잘못이지요. 게다가 말도안되는 고가전략, 안드로이드 앱 마켓도 안되는 폐쇄적 생태계. 재때에 나오고 가격만 맞았더라면 대박도 가능했겠지요.

엔지니어들이 개발뿐만아니라 상품기획과 경영에 참여하지 않으면 결국 우리가 잘못하지 않은 문제로 칼을 맞을 수 있다는 좋은 예인것 같네요.

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By: MARTIN BLANC

Published: Aug 27, 2015 at 3:21 pm EST

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) may be planning a change in its workforce. The company has terminated “dozens of engineers,” who worked on the Fire smartphones. The e-commerce giant’s hardware development unit, Lab126, is likely undergoing a strategic change, as numerous employees have been laid off.

In recent months, Amazon rendered two-day and same-day delivery services in some US locations. Its Amazon Prime membership allows users to order every day-use products to be delivered in hours.

In recent past, Amazon has launched many products, although its tech offerings were not ground-breaking. Lab126 was responsible for engineering and developing Amazon’s own line of electronic devices, including the Fire tablets and smartphones, Kindle products, and other technologically-advanced products such as the Echo.

The company’s latest move pertaining to its Lab126 engineers is likely a measure it took based on the criticism it faced with its Fire Phone. The company introduced its Fire smartphones in the hope to penetrate an industry that is highly saturated and immensely competitive. For the e-retailer, the Fire Phone proved to be a commercial failure.

Most probably, Amazon blames the smartphone’s underachievement to the workforce, which may be why it is rotating it to filter out the weeds. According to the publication, the company has slowed down many Lab126 projects, which include Project Cairo – a 14-inch tablet, Nitro – a smart stylus, and Shimmer – a projector.

As sources told WSJ, there are several products in plans, and the change in the workforce is probably due to that.

Reportedly, Lab126 is also working on a project codenamed “Kabinet,” which is essentially a “high-end computer for the kitchen.” It is being designed to operate as a home hub that can be controlled through voice commands for various functions, similar to Echo. Some engineers stated that they are planning a new battery for Kindle e-reader, which can last two years.

Although Amazon’s plans are not quite clear, the latest layoffs indicate the company’s tactical shift in the consumer electronics space. Lab126 has nearly 3,000 employees, and one may say that the recent reported layoff doesn’t make any difference. However, it is important to note that this is the first time the company has laid off workers in the unit’s 11-year history.

While most of Amazon’s native products, such as Kindle e-reader and Fire tablet, were a success, Fire Phone was a disappointment. The absence of the company’s significant impact in the tech industry is probably because it aims to drive growth in online purchases, rather than efforts to play the tech game. If Amazon isolates its e-commerce business from the development and research business, it may prosper. Perhaps, Amazon was more concerned about getting numbers, than devising a game plan for its entry into the smartphone business. The industry’s response to Fire Phone was definitely hurtful for the engineers’ and developers’ morale, and now, some of them have been laid off. While Amazon may be planning a comeback in the mobile industry, we suggest that it should stick to e-commerce.