Amazon has laid off workers while secretly launching a new tech team, ZeroOne, to build AI-powered home devices that critics say could expand surveillance inside your home.
At a Glance
- Amazon formed a new tech team called ZeroOne to develop “breakthrough” consumer devices.
- The team is led by Xbox co-creator J Allard and pulls talent from Alexa and Luna.
- Job listings suggest the team is designing smart home gadgets using “rapid experimentation.”
- Amazon is simultaneously laying off employees in other device divisions.
- Executives envision a “constellation” of AI-powered devices monitoring your home environment.
Building Devices, Cutting Jobs
In a contradictory move that has raised eyebrows, Amazon has laid off workers in its devices division while simultaneously assembling a secretive new team to build the next wave of smart home technology. The team, known internally as “ZeroOne,” is led by J Allard, a former Microsoft executive known for launching the Xbox.
The ZeroOne initiative was revealed through internal reports and job listings, which suggest Amazon is doubling down on home tech despite recent cost-cutting. Amazon says these job cuts—reportedly affecting about 100 workers—were made “to make our teams and programs operate more efficiently,” according to PYMNTS.
The ZeroOne team will be spread across Amazon hubs in Seattle, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale and is tasked with launching entirely new product categories using “design thinking” and fast prototyping.
A Pattern of Privacy Red Flags
Amazon’s track record with hardware innovation is mixed. The Fire Phone flopped spectacularly. The Halo fitness tracker controversially analyzed users’ vocal tones. Now, the company appears to be moving deeper into AI surveillance territory.
According to a job description for ZeroOne, the team is seeking employees excited about “thriving in the ambiguity of breakthrough innovation.” This corporate jargon has sparked concern among privacy advocates, who worry that the “innovation” may include even more invasive data-collection methods inside consumer homes.
Amazon’s AI “Constellation” Vision
Panos Panay, Amazon’s Hardware Chief, described a vision of a “constellation of devices” working in tandem to optimize the user’s home experience. In practice, this could mean deeper integration between Alexa, Ring cameras, smart TVs, and whatever ZeroOne dreams up next.
“You can imagine … a constellation of devices that has to come together to make it a better experience,” Panay told PYMNTS.
But critics argue this “constellation” resembles a surveillance net, with every room potentially outfitted with sensors, cameras, and microphones feeding data back to Amazon.
As the company scales back investment in existing products while launching experimental new ones, questions loom about its priorities—and its long-term respect for consumer privacy. Will Americans buy into the latest convenience gadgets, even at the cost of surrendering more of their personal space?
Amazon seems to be betting that they will.
