@cstross

They're not far off, either.

I just turned up this. Apparently, 4 people joined The Metro's reviewer on opening night, plus an additional 1 who was apparently another movie reviewer.

So a third of the audience was people who were being paid to watch the movie. (-:

https://metro.co.uk/2026/01/30/sat-a-near-empty-cinema-melania-thought-26612808/

Amusing coincidence: Kimberly Bond also writes features for Cosmo.

@GetCarter
#Melania #MelaniaTrump #USMovies #Amazon #TheMetro

@cstross

They're not far off, either.

I just turned up this. Apparently, 4 people joined The Metro's reviewer on opening night, plus an additional 1 who was apparently another movie reviewer.

So a third of the audience was people who were being paid to watch the movie. (-:

https://metro.co.uk/2026/01/30/sat-a-near-empty-cinema-melania-thought-26612808/

Amusing coincidence: Kimberly Bond also writes features for Cosmo.

@GetCarter
#Melania #MelaniaTrump #USMovies #Amazon #TheMetro

@cstross

The review in @GetCarter 's thread is one of those recycled quotes that actually comes from elsewhere according to Snopes; but lower in the thread people have suggested that the ticket sales for these places can be accounted for *entirely* by the news/magazine movie reviewers who did not have advance screenings.

https://mastodonapp.uk/@GetCarter/115982369126621417

#Melania #MelaniaTrump #USMovies #VueCinema #Islington #Amazon

@cstross

The review in @GetCarter 's thread is one of those recycled quotes that actually comes from elsewhere according to Snopes; but lower in the thread people have suggested that the ticket sales for these places can be accounted for *entirely* by the news/magazine movie reviewers who did not have advance screenings.

https://mastodonapp.uk/@GetCarter/115982369126621417

#Melania #MelaniaTrump #USMovies #VueCinema #Islington #Amazon

@eff Anyone have any recommendations on how to obtain a copy of the book without going through Amazon?

#Signal #Book #Amazon #Kindle

Amazon’s latest 16,000 cuts sit on top of roughly 73,000 corporate roles already eliminated since 2022, as the company leans harder into AI and automation.

Amazon cuts 16,000 more corporate jobs while pouring billions into AI and automation, after roughly 27,000 cuts in 2022–23 and another 14,000 last year – about 73,000 white‑collar roles erased in the name of “efficiency.”

Meta slashed about 11,000 jobs in 2022 and another 10,000 in 2023 in its earlier “year of efficiency” pivot toward AI and infrastructure (excluding the latest 2026 Reality Labs / metaverse layoffs), while also pruning several hundred AI research roles as it refocuses on “superintelligence.”

Accenture has dumped more than 11,000 people in a global restructuring explicitly framed around AI, exiting staff they say can’t be “reskilled” for the new model.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-cuts-16000-jobs-artificial-intelligence-rcna256280
#Amazon #Layoffs #AI #FutureOfWork #Tech #Labour #Automation #Inequality #Accenture #Meta

Amazon’s latest 16,000 cuts sit on top of roughly 73,000 corporate roles already eliminated since 2022, as the company leans harder into AI and automation.

Amazon cuts 16,000 more corporate jobs while pouring billions into AI and automation, after roughly 27,000 cuts in 2022–23 and another 14,000 last year – about 73,000 white‑collar roles erased in the name of “efficiency.”

Meta slashed about 11,000 jobs in 2022 and another 10,000 in 2023 in its earlier “year of efficiency” pivot toward AI and infrastructure (excluding the latest 2026 Reality Labs / metaverse layoffs), while also pruning several hundred AI research roles as it refocuses on “superintelligence.”

Accenture has dumped more than 11,000 people in a global restructuring explicitly framed around AI, exiting staff they say can’t be “reskilled” for the new model.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-cuts-16000-jobs-artificial-intelligence-rcna256280
#Amazon #Layoffs #AI #FutureOfWork #Tech #Labour #Automation #Inequality #Accenture #Meta

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/amazon-plans-thousands-more-corporate-job-cuts-next-week-sources-say-2026-01-22/

#layoffs #amazon #economy

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/amazon-plans-thousands-more-corporate-job-cuts-next-week-sources-say-2026-01-22/

#layoffs #amazon #economy

[Boycott Apple] After horrific new shooting in Minn, #Apple CEO billionaire Cook shows up black tie to kiss Trump's behind at screening of #Amazon vanity "Melania" movie -- DISGUSTING

If you don't want to see billionaires succeed, remember that their wealth is almost exclusively a function of the stock market, and STOP USING THEIR PRODUCTS.

#Amazon #ChatGPT #Facebook #Grok #Instagram #Meta #SpaceX #Whatsapp #X

@eff

#Amazon: "rent this movie for $ or buy it for $$"

They know that they are not selling you a movie you keep, just a movie that you rent for a longer time.

This is #deceptive but it's also #profitable.