Thread

1. rkagerer · 1790016658 · focus · HN ↗

   The right way to do this is to create an API or MCP or whatever catering to bots, and implement corresponding terms in your legal agreements (i.e. after approving a bot to interact with us, you're responsible for purchases it makes), along with some limits to prevent runaway shopping when Muse decides to binge.

   Less friction = more shopping = more profits.

   That used to be a concept companies like Amazon understood well. (As well as companies like Google in the context of web browsing and keeping it user-friendly as opposed to user-hostile).

   If the bots mean customers are getting a better deal elsewhere, then you're doing something wrong elsewhere in your business model and need to go address that. Or eventually free market economics will, no matter how big an artificial moat you try to build.

   1. steve1977 · 1790016835 · focus · HN ↗

      But how can they serve product suggestions this way?

      1. simonw · 1790016999 · focus · HN ↗

         Right. Agents represent a direct attack on a significant portion Amazon's revenue model.

         1. flessio · 1790037918 · focus · HN ↗

            This.

            Recently it was estimated that Amazon makes $30-80 billion(!) per year off not showing you the economically best results by deliberately disallowing sorting on $ per unit [1] to force sellers into ads. Amongst other tactics (ex. filter by country of origin).

            AI agents can sort on $ / unit to easily find you the best deal, rendering Amazon's various forms of paid placement irrelevant.

            Extend this to filtering Chinese slop brands (also not able to be filtered) and the significant portion of revenue starts looking like knocking back margins to the 3-5% range. Basically an existential threat.

            Amazon cannot allow AI agents and maintain current margins.

            [1] - <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pluralistic.net&#x2F;2026&#x2F;09&#x2F;04&#x2F;cheating-at-fraud&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pluralistic.net&#x2F;2026&#x2F;09&#x2F;04&#x2F;cheating-at-fraud&#x2F;

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