November 4, 2025
Cart wars, bot scars
Amazon Demands Perplexity Stop AI Agent from Making Purchases
Amazon slaps Perplexity’s robot shopper as internet yells “pot, meet kettle”
TLDR: Amazon told Perplexity to stop its AI agent from buying things on Amazon, citing rule violations and privacy risks. Commenters split: some call it hypocritical and a push to favor Amazon’s own AI (Rufus), while others say undisclosed bot shopping is risky — a big fight over who controls the checkout
Amazon blasted Perplexity’s AI agent, Comet, with a cease‑and‑desist, saying the bot was secretly shopping for users and breaking store rules. Translation: your robot butler can’t click “Buy Now” on Amazon anymore. Cue chaos. The top meme? “Pot, meet kettle” — fans think the giant that automates everything is mad at automation.
One shopper shared a jaw‑dropping flex: they used an AI to snap a wrapper and say “buy a new one,” and it did the whole checkout. When Amazon blocked agent purchases, they moved to other retailers. Others say this is really about control: Amazon has its own AI shopping helper (Rufus) and doesn’t want outside bots stealing the cart. A commenter bluntly asked: is this just to push Rufus?
Defenders clap back: undisclosed bots can violate a site’s terms of service (the house rules), mess with pricing and reviews, and risk privacy if an AI mishandles your account. Amazon’s letter even alleges computer fraud. The debate is on fire in Hacker News, with links dropped like receipts and accusations of platform lock‑in vs consumer safety.
The vibe: shoppers loved the convenience; platforms hate losing control. If AI can shop for you, who owns the checkout — your agent or the store? That’s the new battleground
Key Points
- •Amazon sent a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity AI regarding its AI agent Comet.
- •Amazon alleges Perplexity committed computer fraud by not disclosing when the agent shops on a user’s behalf.
- •Amazon says the behavior violates its terms of service.
- •Amazon claims Comet degrades the Amazon shopping experience and poses privacy vulnerabilities.
- •The information comes from people familiar with the letter, which was sent on Friday.