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0 pointstoddmorey10y ago0 comments

There's a decent amount of innovation that can make the assistants more efficient, so you can improve profitability without driving down wages. But there's also something else:

Since a high percentage of services will likely end in a transaction, there's a huge opportunity to become the Amazon-scale retailer of services. I find I don't even google products I want to buy anymore, I just immediately search Amazon. Amazon is my retail UI. If Magic can do the same thing in this space—become the service UI—I'd imagine it won't be long before more revenue comes form partnerships than directly from consumers.

0 comments

Splines10y ago

Personally, Amazon's UI has a long way to go and doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon.

If you know what you're looking for, it's fine, but as soon as you try to comparison shop it falls apart fairly quickly.

I've gotten into the habit of looking for experts on other sites that do hands-on comparisons for the thing I want to buy (some recent examples: rain jackets and fitness meters). Amazon is honestly a terrible UI for this sort of thing.

I know that they're trying, but at this point they've lost my trust that what they show in search results is relevant unless I'm being extremely precise.

deepGem10y ago

So, if the market shows that UI is what causes Amazon dearly, and that the market prefers a magic like messaging interface, how long will it take for Amazon to offer a magic like service at a price point that is affordable to everyone. Compare that with the time and effort required for Magic to become a retailer with Amazon's efficiency. I'll bet on the former.

pricechild10y ago

> Personally, Amazon's UI has a long way to go and doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon.

Haven't people been dismissing them over their UI since the beginning of time? And yet it works and is successful?

TeMPOraL10y ago

The sad thing is - UIs generally don't matter if there's anything else making your product special. You can make your users as miserable as you want, and they will still use your service. Companies know it and prioritize effort accordingly.

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georgespencer10y ago

That's exactly the reason I'd use a service like Magic. Finding stuff on Amazon takes dozens of clicks.

pjc5010y ago

You can't scale a $100/hour service to the level of Amazon, there simply aren't that many people with that kind of money.

kyllo10y ago

I'm pretty sure Amazon would find a way to reduce the price.

johnnymonster10y ago

With that kind of attitude, you would obviously not be able to scale anything that would meet even the most minimal resistance.

johnnymonster10y ago

Whats up with the negative karma here? People don't like the truth? Every day people get business off the ground in the face of serious negative criticism. People telling them they can't do something. Telling them that it isn't going to work. There is no way it would scale etc. Someone who decides that something isn't possible is just one less competitor for me!

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0 pointstoddmorey10y ago0 comments

There's a decent amount of innovation that can make the assistants more efficient, so you can improve profitability without driving down wages. But there's also something else:

0 comments

Splines10y ago

Personally, Amazon's UI has a long way to go and doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon.

If you know what you're looking for, it's fine, but as soon as you try to comparison shop it falls apart fairly quickly.

I know that they're trying, but at this point they've lost my trust that what they show in search results is relevant unless I'm being extremely precise.

deepGem10y ago

pricechild10y ago

> Personally, Amazon's UI has a long way to go and doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon.

Haven't people been dismissing them over their UI since the beginning of time? And yet it works and is successful?

TeMPOraL10y ago

1 more reply

georgespencer10y ago

That's exactly the reason I'd use a service like Magic. Finding stuff on Amazon takes dozens of clicks.

pjc5010y ago

You can't scale a $100/hour service to the level of Amazon, there simply aren't that many people with that kind of money.

kyllo10y ago

I'm pretty sure Amazon would find a way to reduce the price.

johnnymonster10y ago

With that kind of attitude, you would obviously not be able to scale anything that would meet even the most minimal resistance.

johnnymonster10y ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse