Amazon to pay $2.5 billion to settle U.S. lawsuit that it 'tricked' people into Prime
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Amazon Pays $2.5B to Settle FTC Prime Subscription Case
Above: An Amazon Prime truck in New York. Image copyright: Erik McGregor/LightRocket/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This is a monumental victory for American consumers who were trapped in deceptive Prime subscriptions. The FTC secured the second-largest settlement in its history, putting billions back into Americans' pockets while forcing Amazon to end its unlawful enrollment practices. This record-breaking enforcement action proves the system works when agencies hold Big Tech accountable.
Establishment-critical narrative
This settlement is a drop in the bucket for Amazon, representing barely 0.1% of its $2.4 trillion market cap while letting executives escape accountability. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos can make up this amount in a matter of weeks. Amazon should've faced a jury trial that would have exposed the full extent of its deceptive practices to the public and likely resulted in harsher penalties.