On Wednesday, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, appeared virtually to testify before Congress, and along with CEOs from Facebook, Apple and Google to answer questions about anti-competitive behavior.
During the five-hour-long Q&A session, Bezos answered questions, ranging from private brand to counterfeit products. The questioning was intense, and Bezos often did not have answers the committee members liked.
When Rep. Pramila Jayapal asked him whether Amazon has ever used third-party seller data to create private brand products, Bezos said, “I can’t answer yes or no to that question.
“We have a policy against using seller-specific data to aid our private-label business,” he said When asked about the retailers use of third-party data Bezos said he didn’t know the specifics yet. “We continue to look into that very carefully.”
In a separate exchange with Rep. David Cicilline, Bezos intelligently dismissed the lawmaker’s claim.
“Isn’t it an inherent conflict of interest for Amazon to produce and sell products that compete directly with third-party sellers, particularly when you Amazon set the rules of the game?” Cicilline asked Bezos.
He replied, “Consumers are the ones ultimately making the decisions about what to buy, what price to buy at and whom to buy from.”
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