Story Archive

Alexa, Stop the Bullying

“Mr. Bezos, I write to you as a father and a human being rather than the CEO of Amazon,” said Lauren, of Lynn, Mass., in an email. The problem: Amazon’s virtual assistant is named Alexa — and so is Lauren’s daughter, age 6. “Kids are telling her, ‘Turn on my T.V., tell me today’s weather,’” she told Bezos. “They laugh at her and treat her like a servant, and this has been an ongoing issue, everywhere we go.” Lauren, who wanted her last name withheld to protect Alexa, thinks products shouldn’t be given women’s names. Lauren got a reply from “Patricia” on Bezos’s behalf, expressing sympathy and thanking her for reaching out. (AC/WNBC New York) ...Bezos, milliseconds earlier: “Patricia, send a sympathetic reply.”