Who Is Really Winning Between OpenAI and Amazon?

Welcome to this weekend edition of Watson Weekly with Rick Watson and Jessica Lesesky! Today, we’re breaking down the biggest moves in retail and e-commerce from the past week..We start with Target’s latest earnings, where a 1.7% dip in net sales has triggered a major turnaround strategy focused on beauty, food, and the Target Circle 360 premium membership. Then, we dive into Shopify’s investor event to discuss Agentic Commerce—is AI the new front door for online shopping? Finally, we analyze the massive $50 billion investment/partnership between Amazon and OpenAI. Why is Amazon mandating the use of its Trainium chips, and what does this mean for the future of AWS?The Watson Weekly Weekend edition is sponsored by Avalara.Key Chapters0:00 - Introduction 0:49 - Target Earnings: Sales Slump & The 2026 Turnaround 6:09 - Shopify’s Agentic Commerce Front Door 9:50 - Amazon & OpenAI: The $110 Billion Funding Round #retailtech #Amazon #OpenAI #Shopify #TargetEarnings #EcommerceNews #AICommerce #AWS #WatsonWeekly