There's Going To Be Some Soul-Searching / Come To Jesus Meetings This Next Week Over At Ford And Amazon -- April 30, 2022

Both Ford and Amazon took huge 1Q22 hits with their Rivian investment. 

For Ford, perhaps not unexpected, since those who invest in automobile industry understand the EV situation, but it seems to have really taken Amazon investors by surprise.

How is the Rivian debacle being reported? Look at this:

I knew it was bad; I didn't know it was this bad, nor did analysts in their early reporting. It was only a bit later in the day after the initial numbers came out that the fog became to clear. 

Amazon was absolutely crushed by analysts when the latter realized what had just happened. Amazon's reputation was crushed; their market cap was crushed. Bezos lost as much as $20 billion -- on paper ... but I doubt it affected his credit rating. Or his lifestyle.

I think twenty, thirty years from now when the books are written on the EV industry folks are going to ask why "they" went with luxury sedans and pickup trucks before going after the low-hanging fruit: last-mile and last-ten-mile local van delivery. Where Tesla is with S, X, and Y, Amazon should be that far along with last-ten-mile-EV-delivery vans. 

The tea leaves suggest it will easily be another five years, I don't think as long as ten years, before Amazon is "mature" with EV van deliveries. Wow, what a mistake. 

Don't even get me started with the US Postal Service.

I don't think there's anyway to sugarcoat this.