Amazon will try a new twist on local deliveries at a shuttered site in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood: a retail-style delivery hub for rapid dispatch of Amazon Flex drivers.

Permit filings describe it as a store in which no customers will ever set foot. Instead, Amazon employees will fulfill online orders — picking and bagging items in a back-of-house stockroom, placing the completed orders on shelves at the front of the space, and handing them off to Amazon Flex drivers for rapid delivery in the surrounding neighborhood.

The documents outline a continuous flow in which drivers arrive, scan in, retrieve a packaged customer order, confirm it with an associate, and depart within roughly two minutes. The operation is expected to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It will operate “much like a convenience store,” Amazon says in one filing.

The plans for the former Amazon Fresh Pickup site, at 5100 15th Ave. NW, haven’t been previously reported. The project uses the code “ZST4,” with the “Z” designation representing a new category of Amazon site that aligns with the recently introduced “Amazon Now” delivery type — short, sub-one-hour delivery blocks from dedicated pickup locations.

Recent screenshots shared by Amazon Flex drivers on Facebook show Amazon Now at similarly named sites, such as ZST3 in Seattle’s University District and ZPL3 in Philadelphia, suggesting the Ballard project is part of a broader rollout of small, hyperlocal delivery operations.

It’s part of Amazon’s larger push into “sub-same-day” delivery — in which smaller, urban fulfillment centers carry a limited set of high-demand items for faster turnaround. The company has been trying different approaches in this realm for several years, looking for the right combination of logistics and economics.

Amazon is far from alone in exploring new models for ultrafast delivery. GoPuff, DoorDash, Uber Eats, Glovo, FreshDirect and others all operate variations of quick-commerce or micro-fulfillment networks, often using partnerships or “dark stores” — retail-style storefronts that are closed to the public and used solely to fulfill online orders at high speed.

Amazon’s Flex program launched 10 years ago. Flex drivers are independent contractors who deliver packages using their own vehicles, signing up for delivery blocks through the Amazon Flex app. The program has often been described as Uber for package delivery. 

What’s different about the new Seattle site, and the Amazon Now initiative, is the speed and simplicity of the operation. As described in the filings. it emphasizes rapid handoffs, with drivers cycling through in minutes rather than loading up for longer delivery routes.

The permit filings emphasize that some delivery drivers will use personal e-bikes and scooters to make deliveries, reflecting the smaller size of the orders and the short distances involved.

Testing the economics

Supply-chain analyst Marc Wulfraat of MWPVL International, who tracks Amazon’s logistics network, said the approach is similar to its legacy Prime Now and Amazon Fresh local delivery sites, with the twist of operating more like a store than a warehouse, based on Amazon’s description.

He said that could mean Amazon will stock perishable items in cooler displays in addition to shelf-stable goods. (That could align with Amazon’s recent effort to integrate fresh groceries directly into Amazon.com orders, letting customers add produce and other chilled items to standard same-day deliveries.)

The filing doesn’t detail the types of products to be available from the site, except that they will be “essential items and local products that are in-demand and hyper-focused on the needs of local customers within the community.”

“I tend to view these as lab experiments to test if the concept is profitable,” Wulfraat said. 

The challenge with these small-format sites, he explained, is that each order tends to be low-value, which means the combined cost of fulfilling and delivering it can take up a large share of the revenue — raising questions about whether the model can be profitable.

Amazon has experimented with similar ideas before.

In late 2024, the company shut down “Amazon Today,” a same-day delivery program that used Flex drivers to pick up small orders from mall and brick-and-mortar retailers. CNBC reported at the time that the service struggled because drivers often left the stores with only one or two items, making the cost per delivery far higher than traditional warehouse-based routes. 

That pullback illustrated the economic challenges of ultrafast delivery and smaller orders. But by operating the new Seattle “store” itself, the company should be able to control more of the variables, including inventory flow, pickup efficiency, and the labor required in the process.

Under the plan, the new Ballard hub will be staffed by four shifts of six to eight Amazon employees each — which translates into 24 to 32 employees per day. The site is expected to dispatch about 240 vehicles over a 24-hour period, with peak volumes of 15 to 20 trips per hour.

It will be the second time for this building to host an Amazon retail experiment. The site previously operated as one of only two standalone Amazon Fresh Pickup locations in the U.S., offering drive-up grocery retrieval and package returns for Prime members beginning in 2017. 

Amazon closed the Ballard pickup site in early 2023 amid a broader pullback from several brick-and-mortar initiatives, shifting focus to other Amazon Fresh stores, Whole Foods, and online grocery delivery. The building has been closed since then.

Fitting into the zoning

The emphasis on the retail-style nature of the new Seattle delivery hub could also serve another purpose: helping ensure the facility fits within its retail-focused zoning designation.

The site is zoned for auto-oriented retail and service businesses, and permitted as a retail store for general sales and services, a classification Amazon secured in 2016 when converting the building from a restaurant. (It was previously the longtime location of Louie’s Cuisine of China.)

If the city agrees the new use qualifies as retail, Amazon may avoid a formal change-of-use review — a process that can trigger additional scrutiny, including updated traffic assessments, environmental checks, and requirements to bring older buildings up to current codes.

Amazon’s permit filing repeatedly uses retail terminology and describes Flex drivers as proxies for customers: “Our store will have a small front-of-house area where customer selected products are available for customer representatives (Amazon Flex Drivers) to come in to pick up the purchased products,” reads a narrative included in the filings, dated Oct. 31. 

The approach could also double as a template for areas of the country where officials are cracking down on “dark stores” in retail corridors. Cities including New York, Amsterdam, and Paris have moved to regulate or ban micro-fulfillment centers from storefronts, arguing that they make urban cores less lively and violate zoning codes.

There’s no word yet on Amazon’s timeline for opening the new facility. We’ve contacted the company for comment on the project and we’ll update this post with any additional details.

[Thanks to the anonymous tipster who let us know to look for the filing. If you have newsworthy information to share on any topic we cover, email tips@geekwire.com or use our online form.]

Last month, a DoorDash driver in upstate New York delivered an item to a local house in Oswego—only to find the front door open and a man apparently unconscious or asleep on a couch in the front room. The man was also quite naked, with pants and underwear around his ankles, and he was fully visible from the porch.

The DoorDasher was a 23-year-old woman named Olivia Henderson, and she felt like the whole situation was some kind of creepy exploitation play. Was this guy purposely exposing himself to her? Was he even asleep? Should she have to endure the sight of random male genitalia just to make a few bucks?

She did not think so, and she decided to do something about it. Henderson filmed the man from outside the home, and she later posted the video on TikTok to shame him. Naturally, it went viral.

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Names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers were compromised after an employee fell for a social engineering attack.

The post DoorDash Says Personal Information Stolen in Data Breach appeared first on SecurityWeek.

Food delivery giant DoorDash confirms a data breach on Oct 25, 2025, where an employee fell for a social engineering scam. User names, emails, and home addresses were stolen.

Jushi Holdings is suing DoorDash and Total Wine alleging they are selling intoxicating hemp products that bypass state cannabis regulations.

Marijuana MSO sues DoorDash, Total Wine to halt hemp THC sales is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

John McAfee is a tech pioneer and successful entrepreneur. He started his career as a software developer and went on to create the first commercial anti-virus program. McAfee founded McAfee Inc. in 1987 and resigned in 1994, selling his remaining shares in the company over time. His net worth is estimated at four million dollars, but that is likely to be (a lot) higher, given that he owns significant amounts of cryptocurrency.

After his resignation, he sporadically popped up in the news and on social media, giving occasional tech-related interviews. At one point, he was accused of a murder that took place in Belize. McAfee is perhaps best known for a rather bizarre YouTube video that went viral.

McAfee is a vocal proponent of cryptocurrencies and freedom of information. He gained notoriety for his bullish claims and ICO promotions. For example, he claimed Bitcoin would reach one million dollars, only to call it later a ‘true shitcoin.’

No clue WTF I am doing….but here it is:

Buthere pic.twitter.com/uoYRI5K1yU

— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) May 16, 2020

Ghost coin

McAfee is a prominent advocate for Monero, stating that no significant vulnerabilities are plausible until further development in quantum computing. He believes the world needs a real privacy coin due to governmental and private spying. However, he sees exchanges as a weakness, specifically centralized exchanges that require some form of government ID to trade. Therefore, McAfee created a decentralized exchange called McAfeeDex.

Decentralized exchanges are nothing new. Platforms such as Bisq and Blocknet have provided such services for several years. Bisq gives users the option to trade cryptocurrency directly for fiat. Still, most traded coins on these exchanges do not provide the anonymization that a coin like Monero does. Furthermore, Monero is not compatible with decentralized exchanges, and it does not aspire to be in the future. That is most likely due to fears of government intervention.

MacAfee saw this as a golden opportunity for his exchange, subsequently announcing his coin called Ghost. That coin is modeled after Monero but explicitly designed to be compatible with his exchange, though McAfee’s platform has not seen widespread adoption yet.

Ghost focuses on privacy, shielding, and erasing transaction history. It is a decentralized proof of stake network, including fast transactions and low fees. Their white paper and the TDLR lite paper are undoubtedly interesting.

Plagiarism

Rapidly after the publication of the white paper, allegations of plagiarism and technical incompetence arose. The developers of the PIVX coin – an MIT licensed open source project focusing on privacy – stated that twenty out of 26 pages of the Ghost white paper were plagiarized.

Besides, they state that there are several technical inconsistencies and flaws within the white paper. Representatives of Ghost acknowledged that their coin was indeed a fork of PIVX, but defended themselves by arguing that PIVX is itself a fork of Dash. Moreover, they claimed to make significant improvements and that they would continue to innovate.

We still have to wait until the code becomes available publicly, in order to conclude. It should be noted that if Ghost does not respect the MIT license, they could be subject to a DMCA takedown, as well as exclusion from exchanges.

McAfee’s shady dealings

It is no wonder McAfee is living in (self-described) exile. He faces serious plagiarism accusations. Furthermore, his Ghost coin is also very suitable for money laundering. In a recently released podcast, he states he is on the run for the Federal Communications Commission, but he does not provide any evidence. Subsequently, he argues that it is not his job to police the world and that he is merely an entrepreneur that ‘builds shit.’

It is not unprecedented for the US government to intervene in such projects, though. TON, a blockchain project from the developers of the popular messaging app Telegram, was forced to shut down in a rather bizarre court ruling. Yet, it is hard to determine whether the US authorities are currently targeting McAfee.

In addition, McAfee stated in the past that he was in fact on the run due to tax evasion. He said: “I have not paid taxes for ten years, and I never will.” That appears consistent with his libertarian views.

When McAfee was arrested in the Dominican Republic for possessing illegal weapons and ammunition, there where no pending extradition requests from the US. He was released and allowed to travel to the United Kingdom. That strengthens the case that he is not in any (legal) trouble with the US. Meanwhile, he uses the media circus surrounding him as a form of marketing and publicity.  

Something he seems to thrive on is appealing to a broad spectrum of dissident media pundits. In an interview with the right-wing Youtuber Keith Woods – a staunch critic of capitalism and advocate of the third political way – he claimed that the CIA was hunting him, although he called them ‘incompetent.’ He also alleges he had multiple interactions with the Israeli Mossad. Even though it is possible, such wild claims are hard to prove.

MacAfee is not very popular within the crypto community either, as he made many bullish statements, only to later deem them as sarcasm. He is known to promote cryptocurrency in return for payment. That led to the accusation of running a pump-and-dump scheme, as he never mentioned those coins again.

Trustworthiness

McAfee is an intelligent man. His image as a tech cowboy earned him fame and significant wealth. When it comes to developing and innovating, he seems to be chasing trends more than setting them.

Only time will tell whether Ghost will live up to its promises. However, McAfee broke his promises many times before. He does not see that as immoral, though, referring to his libertarian beliefs.

We recommend caution using or investing in any of his projects. 

The post Should we trust John McAfee? appeared first on Rana News.