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Fortune magazine announced its 2024 list of the most admired companies in the world, and this year Amazon ranked third, for the eighth consecutive year in the top three. The annual rankings are determined by surveying senior executives and analysts, and companies are evaluated based on nine criteria, including the quality of their management, innovation in products and services, and commitment to social responsibility.

Amazon teams work to support and deliver services To our customers, our employees, and the communities we have served over the past year. These are just a few examples from 2023:

We made our largest annual investment in hourly wages in the US and hired 250,000 employees for the holiday season.

As the world's largest job creator, Amazon invested $1.3 billion last year in pay increases for operations and customer service employees, raising the average salary for these jobs to more than $20.50 per hour (a more than 50% increase in... five). years).

We use artificial intelligence (AI) to develop and improve our fulfillment processes and shopping experiences.

Through artificial intelligence, machine learning (ML) and computer vision, Amazon is developing next-generation robotics technologies to help employees perform repetitive tasks and some heavy-duty work. This automated assistance makes work easier and safer, giving employees more time to do what they do best: find new ways to delight customers.

Meanwhile, generative AI and other technologies are behind Just Walk Out From Amazon makes the checkout process easier. Lines are a thing of the past. Today, Just Walk Out technology is available in more than 70 Amazon-owned stores and more than 85 third-party locations in the US, UK and Australia, including sports stadiums, airports, supermarkets and college campuses. .

We are expanding the benefits we offer to help employees achieve personal and professional success.

14 new benefits from Amazon's FamilyFlex program aim to provide more flexibility in employees' lives and the tools they need to manage unexpected financial or health events. These benefits include free financial counseling, in-house cancer management, and temporary new schedule adjustments for hourly front-line staff.

We leverage our unique capabilities and resources to invest in affordable housing and disaster relief initiatives.

In response to the Maui wildfires, for example, Disaster Relief by Amazon donated critical supplies and provided financial support to organizations best positioned to provide immediate assistance. AWS has also activated its disaster response team to help set up temporary communications infrastructure to provide phone and internet connectivity in affected locations.

In affordable housing, Amazon has launched a new pilot initiative in partnership with the National Housing Trust (NHT) To help individuals and families from underserved communities become homeowners in Puget Sound, Washington State; Arlington, Virginia; And Nashville, Tennessee. Amazon is investing $40 million to help middle-income individuals and families buy homes as a way to generate generational wealth

Those are just a few examples from the past year, and we’re excited about what’s ahead for 2024. You can stay updated on the most important news and stories about Amazon byvisiting our websiteorsubscribing to the Amazon News newsletter.

This is all possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of millions of our teammates and partners around the world, and we want to thank them all for delivering for each other, our communities, and our customers every day.