Amazon might soon allow users to pay in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, going by its plans to hire a digital currency and blockchain product lead for its payments team.
According to its latest job listing, Amazon’s Payments Acceptance & Experience team is “seeking an experienced product leader to develop Amazon’s digital currency and Blockchain strategy and product roadmap”. The position is based in Seattle, Washington, and is a part of the Payments Acceptance & Experience team.
“You will leverage your domain expertise in Blockchain, Distributed Ledger, Central Bank Digital Currencies and Cryptocurrency to develop the case for the capabilities which should be developed, drive overall vision and product strategy, and gain leadership buy-in and investment for new capabilities,” the company posted.
A company spokesperson said that the need for a cryptocurrency lead was inspired by the innovations occurring in the cryptocurrency space and how it could be leveraged for Amazon. CoinDesk quoted the spokesperson as saying, “We’re inspired by the innovation happening in the cryptocurrency space and are exploring what this could look like on Amazon. We believe the future will be built on new technologies that enable modern, fast, and inexpensive payments, and hope to bring that future to Amazon customers as soon as possible.”
The product lead will work closely with teams across Amazon, including Amazon Web Services (AWS). It will develop the full marketing strategy from customer experience to technical development to launching the product. AWS currently offers a managed blockchain service.
The job post further states that the product lead would “need to operate with a high level of autonomy and operate analytically, working backwards from data and customer insights to build new and innovative solutions to unsolved problems”.
Almost all major tech companies are looking to develop a foothold in cryptocurrencies. Recently, Tech giant Apple posted a similar listing for a business development manager “working in or with alternative payment providers, such as digital wallets, BNPL, Fast Payments, cryptocurrency, and etc.” Even Elon Musk and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey are bullish on Bitcoins.
“The online world needs a global currency, and our focus is on Bitcoin because with this cryptocurrency, we can reach every single person on the planet, “Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stressed.
Tesla announced earlier this year that it would accept Bitcoin payments for vehicle purchases in the US following Musk’s investment of $1.5 billion (€1.2 billion) in the cryptocurrency in February. However, this was put on hold based on the energy concerns regarding crypto mining. Tesla said it will desist from using bitcoins until more than 50 per cent of tokens are mined using renewable energy.
Microsoft, too, accepts Bitcoin payments, going some way to instill a degree of confidence in using cryptos. Bitcoin can be used to pay for an array of services, including Xbox Live and Skype. Utilizing blockchain, Microsoft has also launched ION, a two-layered authentication platform on the Bitcoin network in late March. The technology creates digital IDs to authenticate online identities.
