*By Michael Teich*
Amazon inked a new partnership with American Express, but don't expect the financial industry to be the next area the tech giant jumps into.
"The thing that people misunderstand is that tech companies don't want to manufacture financial products," said Lex Sokolin, Global Director of Fintech Strategy at Autonomous Research. "It's about making the ecosystem and the platform more powerful, and finance is just a feature inside of that."
American Express announced Tuesday it will launch a co-branded Amazon credit card for small businesses. The move accelerates Amazon's foray into financial products and strengthens its position as a lender. The goal, Sokolin said, is to enable small businesses to finance their activities, getting more products on Amazon's platform, and ultimately driving more commerce.
Plus, the opportunity costs of devoting itself to the financial industry are too high.
"Amazon has tremendous high-growth, super interesting, blue oceans to explore,” he said. "They could be investing in building a mortgage business, or they can build artificial intelligence business."
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/amazon-bolsters-financial-prowess-with-new-credit-card)
Netflix is rolling out a deeper lineup of new and returning titles of Korean content.
DoorDash and Starbucks expanded their partnership to allow consumers to order through its app.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the outlines for her “Green Deal Industrial Plan” at the World Economic Forum at Davos.
Although Tesla may be offering discounts, GM President Mark Reuss said the company is holding firm on its EV pricing after announcing the 2024 Corvette E-Ray on Tuesday, the 70th anniversary of the first Corvette.
Microsoft said it's expanding access to OpenAI following reports of talks for a major investment by the tech giant in the startup parent company of ChatGPT.
Peloton named former Twitter executive Leslie Berland as its head of marketing.
Dan Geltrude, managing partner at Geltrude & Co., joined Cheddar News to explain how to get a jump on preparing your finances for extreme weather. "The single most important thing is to make sure you have the proper insurance coverage," he said.
Walt Disney Co. fought back and blasted investor Nelson Peltz's quest for a seat on Disney's board.
The International Monetary Fund says there are signs of resilience for an economic turnaround next year.
More supplies prompted the drugstore chain to lift its restriction of six purchases for online shoppers.
