Amazon Wants to Hire a Digital Currency Expert. A Hint at Bitcoin Payments?

As businesses around the world warm up to the idea of accepting cryptocurrencies as a mode of payment, it seems like e-commerce giant Amazon could also be considering the option. At least that is what a new job posting on the company’s official site suggests. Amazon, which does not accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment on its site at the moment, is now on the lookout for a suitable candidate to fill the position of Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead. According to the listing, the candidate who makes the cut will be playing a pivotal role in developing “Amazon’s Digital Currency and Blockchain strategy and product roadmap.”

If a candidate has to make a cut, they will have to have domain expertise in “Blockchain, Distributed Ledger, Central Bank Digital Currencies, and Cryptocurrency”. The knowledge, the listing states, will be leveraged “to develop the case for the capabilities which should be developed, drive the overall vision and product strategy, and gain leadership buy-in and investment for new capabilities.”

According to Amazon Jobs, the position is based in Seattle, Washington, and is a part of the Payments Acceptance & Experience team. The role will involve the development of a roadmap that covers “customer experience, technical strategy, and capabilities as well as the launch strategy”, the listing said.

The job listing strongly hints at the company showing a willingness to embrace cryptocurrency, albeit in the future. It could mean Amazon accepting Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies as payment for orders.. This was further confirmed by a company spokesperson who was quoted by CoinDesk as saying, “We’re inspired by the innovation happening in the cryptocurrency space and are exploring what this could look like on Amazon. We believe the future will be built on new technologies that enable modern, fast, and inexpensive payments, and hope to bring that future to Amazon customers as soon as possible.”

The listing reiterates that the candidate would need to have a “deep understanding of the digital/ cryptocurrency ecosystem and related technologies.”

A similar interest in cryptocurrency was also expressed by Apple in May, this year, when it listed a job opening for a business development manager with experience in the cryptocurrency industry. The candidate would be required to lead its alternative payments partnership program, the listing had stated.

“We are looking for a proven professional in global alternative and emerging payment solutions,” the listing had said, hinting at a potential move towards accepting cryptocurrency payments.