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The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

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After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

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1

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

2

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
TechMost Powerful Women

Meet the Woman Who Runs Amazon’s Alexa Unit

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
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By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
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October 25, 2016, 12:00 PM ET
Photograph by Brian Smale for Fortune
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Age: 44

From: Seattle

Veteran Affair: Reid has spent almost her entire career at Amazon (AMZN), where she is now director of product for its Amazon Echo devices and Alexa unit. She carries a purple badge that designates employees who have been at the company for 15 years or more. With each new Amazon role, “I feel like I’ve taken a job at a new startup,” she says.

Fast Friend: Reid leads the team behind Alexa, Amazon’s artificial-intelligence-powered, voice-activated assistant, which controls Echo, its popular home automation device. A recent development: training Alexa to turn down music playback when a person asks her a question. “We tried to emulate what a real person would do,” Reid says.

Fair Warning: Reid set up her own Echo device to tell her if it is raining in Seattle so that she grabs her umbrella.

Lift Ticket: When Reid isn’t driving her daughters (ages 10 and 13) to soccer games, she loves to snowboard and ski. Says Reid: “The weekends are for time with my kids.”

For more on Amazon, watch this Fortune video:

A version of this article appears in the November 1, 2016 issue of Fortune with the headline “Toni Reid—Director of Product, Amazon.”

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