The Scoop: Amazon emphasizes transparency in memo as communities push back on data centers

Amazon is trying to get ahead of growing opposition to the massive data center debate.

Amazon Web Services said in a memo Oct. 2 that it will invest more than $1 billion over five years in U.S. communities where it operates data centers. The money will go toward education, job training, and water and energy conservation.

Amazon also said it has stopped using NDAs with local governments as concern grows around how data center deals are negotiated.

AWS CEO Matt Garman said the data center race is bigger than Amazon.

“There is urgency to this data center buildout because we aren’t the only country that sees the benefits of AI for the economy and national security, and the countries that lead in AI will shape it and get the most from it,” Garman said in the more than 3,000-word announcement. “There are clearly areas in which the technology and energy industries can be doing better (along with their government partners) but…we should approach this as a long-term mission that the private and public sectors pursue together.”

Garman proceeded to go down the line of misconceptions and address them one by one.

The announcement comes as communities across the country push back over data centers’ electricity use, water consumption, utility costs and other local impacts.

Why it matters: Amazon isn’t shying away from the pain points of the debate. It recognizes that building data centers is a trust and community relations challenge and it’s using transparency to attempt to ease minds, while sharing its argument.

The company is also attempting to persuade affected communities with funding for areas that have the most pushback: water consumption and energy use.

They’re addressing the big issues upfront. Amazon acknowledges that communities need to be a part of the process, understand what they’ll get in return and be reassured that the downsides of the deal have answers.

Will it turn the tides and bring people on board? Maybe not everyone. But it definitely comes across as a transparent and attempt to build a bridge, which doesn’t hurt.

What is ‘super intelligence?’

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and some of the major tech leaders are trying to give artificial intelligence a branding makeover.

Trump and executives including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and xAI CEO Elon Musk are pushing the term “super intelligence,” or SI, instead of AI. Axios reports that Trump said the term “artificial” makes the technology sound fake, while “super intelligence” better captures what it can do.

The public may not be buying it though. A YouGov poll cited by Axios found 53% of respondents prefer the term AI, while just 9% favor SI.

Changing the name of something won’t erase the concerns attached to it. Rebrandings only work if audiences believe something substantial has changed and they clearly don’t. Since it’s close enough to Mean Girls Day, I’ll just say it: Stop trying to make fetch happen. It’s never gonna happen.

How is Nike justifying new job cuts?

Nike is cutting more jobs as it pushes deeper into a turnaround that’s taking longer than expected.

The Times reports CEO Elliott Hill told employees this week that Nike’s new restructuring plan, called “Pace,” will mean fewer roles as the company reorganizes into three geographic regions, overhauls its supply chain and moves some leaders closer to key markets. Nike expects the changes to save about $2.5 billion through 2031. The company did not announce how many roles would be eliminated.

Hill also said that growth in Nike’s performance business isn’t yet enough to make up for weakness elsewhere and said the turnaround “will take time.”

“I want to acknowledge that news like this creates uncertainty. I don’t take that lightly,” he said. “Throughout this process, we will communicate directly, act with transparency and treat people with respect.”

Nike’s restructuring hasn’t been as quick as its leadership hoped and another round of job cuts doesn’t boost confidence — for employees or external stakeholders. Companies shouldn’t oversell progress and when tough decisions need to be made, acknowledge why clearly and be realistic about what you know and don’t know. Otherwise you run the risk of reputational damage and a loss of trust.

Why is Voodoo Ranger looking for Michael Myers?

In much less terrifying news, Voodoo Ranger is searching for Michael Myers. Not the notorious masked killer. The regular folks that share his name.

Nerdist reports the beer brand launched a nationwide “Slasher Manhunt” for people legally named Michael Myers as part of a promo for its limited Slasher IPA and partnership with “Halloween: The Game.”

One Michael Myers will win free Voodoo Ranger for a year, while the campaign culminates with an Oct. 7 event in New York featuring beer, game demos and giveaways.

“Being named Michael Myers has come with enough baggage, so we’re here with the beer,” Voodoo Ranger’s Marketing Director Kiron Chakraborty said. “We’re rewarding real Michael Myerses with a year’s supply of Voodoo Ranger because Halloween deserves to be celebrated, not endured.”

Every spooky enthusiast can get behind this idea. Voodoo Ranger found a cultural figure people instantly recognize, tied it directly to their product and partnership, and gave the public a reason to participate in it. It’s fun. It’s seasonal. It fits naturally and it drives conversation.