By Elizabeth Lopatto, a reporter who writes about tech, money, and human behavior. She joined The Verge in 2014 as science editor. Previously, she was a reporter at Bloomberg.

Jun 2, 2023, 8:03 PM UTC|

Right, so Amazon is reportedly in talks to bundle free or reduced-cost mobile service with its Prime subscription. I figure as long as we’re talking about making Prime more useful, I might as well contribute!

• Buy Kindle books on the iPhone. Amazon pays Apple the digital fee on your behalf.
• Veto power. If Amazon decides not to renew a show, a critical mass of Prime subscribers can overrule the decision.
• Secret Santa. Amazon sends Prime subscribers a random overstocked item from its warehouse. It’s usually a tangled clump of cords.
• Layoff participation. Every time Amazon does a layoff, Prime subscribers get to vote on who in the C-suite is also out.
• VIP section at Whole Foods and One Medical. Serves champagne.
• Skydiving trip. Yearly. Can be substituted for a discount on a Blue Origin flight.
• Hologram of a loved one. For an extra fee, you can boss it around just like Alexa.
• Screen-printed art of your order history. Andy Warhol-style. Can be delivered as an NFT on request.
• Privacy Plus. No Amazon employee will snoop on your Ring or Alexa data.
• Birthday card from Jeff Bezos. Or his robot butler.