Amazon Takes On UPS, FedEX Hints That Driverless Car Program Is Further Along Than Many Believe

Amazon’s aspirations, though, seem much more ordinary, relatively speaking, focused solely on delivering packages and groceries more quickly and efficiently. Obviously, that’s a meaningful strategic goal, one that would improve the bottom line and gives last week’s announcement that it will introduce a delivery service for businesses some added perspective. Even as getting such a service off the ground will be a massive undertaking, FedEx and UPS don’t have the resources to compete with Amazon were it to have a fleet of cost-effective driverless trucks on the road.

Still, limiting its driverless goals to delivery seems like an uncharacteristically narrow objective for a company that tends to take on new industries and technologies much more boldly. Or does it? There’s certainly a perception that Amazon tends to plunge forcefully into different industries in the hopes of gathering market share and making a big splash, but the reality is different. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn’t.
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