Amazon Opens 1st Full Amazon Go Grocery in Seattle; Cruise Gets License in CA for Transport Without Safety Drivers; Netflix Adds Top 10 Feature; Intuit Buys Credit Karma

Amazon has rolled out its first ‘Amazon Go Grocery’ store in Seattle. Geekwire.com reports that the space is only 7700 square feet, not as large as a lot of supermarkets, but larger than the smaller Amazon Go stores they have opened so far…those have run between 450 and 2700 feet. The new store has a much larger selection of items, as you might expect. The format is the same, no checkers or check out lanes, and the store bristles with cameras and sensors. The produce is out in the open, like at Amazon-owned Whole Foods, so you can pick and choose the apples, oranges, or lettuce that you prefer. The organic produce is sourced from the same farms aw Whole foods, and will be marked with the 365 label. There is no meat or seafood counter and no food preparation on the premises. Fish, chicken and beef products are brought in several times a week, individually wrapped. There is also an artisan cheese area, but again all self serve. Amazon looks to be opening more of these stores, but the size and item count probably hasn’t been set in stone as yet.

Cruise took another step in the direction of a robo-taxi service this week. According to venture beat.com, the California Public Utilities Commission has issued a permit allowing Cruise to offer passenger service in autonomous Chevy Bolts without drivers behind the wheel. The company has been running an employees only ride-hailing program in San Francisco called Cruise Anywhere. VentureBeat also noted that Cruise will be looking to do service demos with partners, members of the media, and other ‘key people.’

Netflix has added a feature to help you wade through the massive library of shows to stream. Now, you should see a Top 10 row when you fire up Netflix. Cnet.com says the lists update daily, to show what’s popular in your country. There are three ‘buckets;” Netflix overall, shows, and films. Shows and films that make the lists will sport a ‘Top 10’ badge on the Netflix site. They have trialed the feature for the last 6 months in the UK and Mexico.

Intuit has confirmed that it is acquiring Credit Karma for some $7.1 billion in cash and stock. Techcrunch.com reports that it plans to keep Credit Karma as a standalone operation…it has been hauling in over a billion in revenue a year. Intuit will be able to tap into Credit Karma’s customer base and range of services….the company has partnered with some 100 financial service providers. Intuit also hopes to upsell some of the Credit Karma users on its own services.