Amazon's Panos Panay: The Reality of Building Alexa Plus and AI Assistants

Panos Panay is Amazon’s head of Devices & Services. Panay returns to Big Technology Podcast to discuss Alexa Plus's delayed rollout, when the assistant is releasing to everyone, and the challenge of building these products. Tune in for specifics on compatibility, usage spikes, and what “day one” means when you have hundreds of millions of customers. We also cover the future of computing, from phones to wearables and home devices. Hit play for a grounded look at what’s real now—and what’s coming next. --- Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:00:34 - Discussing Alexa Plus Rollout 00:02:00 - Customer Experience and Trust 00:04:32 - Balancing Expectations and Delivery 00:04:49 - Customer Obsession and Innovation 00:05:49 - Amazon's Day One Philosophy 00:10:45 - Customer Disruption and Patience 00:12:47 - Transition to AI 00:15:51 - The Impact of AI on Daily Life 00:16:59 - The Complexity of AI Engineering 00:17:17 - The Role of AI in Customer Engagement 00:20:11 - The Challenges of Building AI 00:21:14 - The Importance of Getting AI Right 00:25:26 - Understanding Customer Context in AI 00:26:29 - The Evolution of AI Products 00:27:23 - The Readiness of AI Products 00:30:50 - Discussion on Ambient AI and Devices 00:32:07 - The Future of AI Devices 00:33:53 - The Role of Different Devices 00:34:24 - The Evolution of Devices 00:37:13 - Amazon's Device Release Strategy 00:40:54 - The Importance of Customer-Centric Design 00:43:36 - Recycling Old Amazon Devices 00:46:27 - Conclusion