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What is the story about?
Amazon moves millions of packages every single day across continents by air, land, and sea, powered by AI, next-gen robotics, and a workforce that now exceeds a million people globally. At the helm of this vast, complex machine is Udit Madan, Senior Vice President, Amazon Worldwide Operations. The 38-year-old is the youngest member of Amazon’s elite S-Team that oversees global strategy.
On Young Turks Reloaded, CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan sits down with Madan to understand why India is central to Amazon’s next chapter and how the future of delivery may be faster, cheaper, and smarter than ever before.
Amazon’s latest headline announcement—a $35-billion investment in India by 2030—comes over and above the $40 billion already invested between 2010 and 2025. This positions Amazon as the largest foreign direct investor in India.
Calling India a “massive opportunity,” Madan explains that the $35 billion would cover every aspect of Amazon’s business: infrastructure, AI, technology, exports, seller enablement, workforce upskilling, and even education. “We want to digitise, support, and empower small businesses, and make AI accessible at scale,” he says. The investment is expected to help 15 million sellers access AI-based training and tools, while 4 million government students will gain exposure to AI learning.
India has also emerged as a powerhouse for Amazon’s exports. In just five years, the company crossed $20 billion in cumulative exports from India. It now aims to reach $80 billion by 2030, connecting Indian sellers and producers to customers around the globe.
Another phenomenon that has caught global attention is India’s quick-commerce revolution. From same-day deliveries to 10-minute orders, Indian consumers have set new expectations. Madan says speed has always been part of Amazon’s DNA, and the India experience, he believes, is globally exportable.
Amazon has already launched 20-minute deliveries in the Middle East and a 30-minute quick-commerce offering in Seattle and Philadelphia. He sees consistent patterns in customer behaviour across geographies, with demand for urgent needs and everyday essentials remaining universal.
Looking ahead, Madan views delivery evolution as a continuum, not a replacement. While everyday essentials may arrive in minutes, other products will continue to follow same-day or overnight fulfilment. As he puts it, “Consumers won’t settle for lower selection. They’ll want both speed and breadth.”
India, Madan tells Shereen Bhan, has been a hotbed of experimentation and innovation. “What has surprised me most is how solutions built for India are now solving problems globally,” he adds, underscoring the country’s role as a global innovation engine for Amazon.
One standout example is the Amazon Hub Points Program, launched to partner with local kirana stores for pickup and delivery. “In India, it allowed us to scale rapidly during festivals and peak periods. Today, this model has been adapted in Spain, parts of Europe, and even Manhattan, offering supplemental delivery capacity where traditional networks fall short,” Madan shares.
At the heart of Amazon’s global operations is a machine of extraordinary scale. Over 100 million packages move through its network every day, with operations supported by 1.2 million employees. A significant transformation within Amazon has been the integration of robotics. Madan reveals that the company has been deploying advanced robots for more than a decade, with a million robots now operating globally. These machines perform a range of tasks—moving goods to employees, picking products, and even packing them.
“With the integration of technology, we’ve seen the nature of work shift. The number of people in the network is continuing to grow, but their work has become less repetitive and more knowledge-oriented,” Madan notes. “As robotics becomes more prevalent, we expect a global trend where repetitive tasks are automated, and humans increasingly perform skilled, higher-value work,” he adds.
So what could the next generation of robotics mean for the last-mile delivery ecosystem at scale? Madan believes, “There will be robots and automation at scale. But what’s harder to predict is the exact form they will take.” One plausible scenario, he suggests, is a delivery driver assisted by robots, carrying packages from the vehicle to the customer’s door, rather than full automation of the entire process.
While full automation may be farther away, collaborative robots assisting humans are likely to become commonplace over the next 5–10 years. Madan says, “The challenge is not just building the robots, it’s figuring out how to integrate them into the real world, so they can navigate complex environments safely and efficiently.”
On Young Turks Reloaded, CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan sits down with Madan to understand why India is central to Amazon’s next chapter and how the future of delivery may be faster, cheaper, and smarter than ever before.
Amazon’s latest headline announcement—a $35-billion investment in India by 2030—comes over and above the $40 billion already invested between 2010 and 2025. This positions Amazon as the largest foreign direct investor in India.
Calling India a “massive opportunity,” Madan explains that the $35 billion would cover every aspect of Amazon’s business: infrastructure, AI, technology, exports, seller enablement, workforce upskilling, and even education. “We want to digitise, support, and empower small businesses, and make AI accessible at scale,” he says. The investment is expected to help 15 million sellers access AI-based training and tools, while 4 million government students will gain exposure to AI learning.
India has also emerged as a powerhouse for Amazon’s exports. In just five years, the company crossed $20 billion in cumulative exports from India. It now aims to reach $80 billion by 2030, connecting Indian sellers and producers to customers around the globe.
Another phenomenon that has caught global attention is India’s quick-commerce revolution. From same-day deliveries to 10-minute orders, Indian consumers have set new expectations. Madan says speed has always been part of Amazon’s DNA, and the India experience, he believes, is globally exportable.
Amazon has already launched 20-minute deliveries in the Middle East and a 30-minute quick-commerce offering in Seattle and Philadelphia. He sees consistent patterns in customer behaviour across geographies, with demand for urgent needs and everyday essentials remaining universal.
Looking ahead, Madan views delivery evolution as a continuum, not a replacement. While everyday essentials may arrive in minutes, other products will continue to follow same-day or overnight fulfilment. As he puts it, “Consumers won’t settle for lower selection. They’ll want both speed and breadth.”
India, Madan tells Shereen Bhan, has been a hotbed of experimentation and innovation. “What has surprised me most is how solutions built for India are now solving problems globally,” he adds, underscoring the country’s role as a global innovation engine for Amazon.
One standout example is the Amazon Hub Points Program, launched to partner with local kirana stores for pickup and delivery. “In India, it allowed us to scale rapidly during festivals and peak periods. Today, this model has been adapted in Spain, parts of Europe, and even Manhattan, offering supplemental delivery capacity where traditional networks fall short,” Madan shares.
At the heart of Amazon’s global operations is a machine of extraordinary scale. Over 100 million packages move through its network every day, with operations supported by 1.2 million employees. A significant transformation within Amazon has been the integration of robotics. Madan reveals that the company has been deploying advanced robots for more than a decade, with a million robots now operating globally. These machines perform a range of tasks—moving goods to employees, picking products, and even packing them.
“With the integration of technology, we’ve seen the nature of work shift. The number of people in the network is continuing to grow, but their work has become less repetitive and more knowledge-oriented,” Madan notes. “As robotics becomes more prevalent, we expect a global trend where repetitive tasks are automated, and humans increasingly perform skilled, higher-value work,” he adds.
So what could the next generation of robotics mean for the last-mile delivery ecosystem at scale? Madan believes, “There will be robots and automation at scale. But what’s harder to predict is the exact form they will take.” One plausible scenario, he suggests, is a delivery driver assisted by robots, carrying packages from the vehicle to the customer’s door, rather than full automation of the entire process.
While full automation may be farther away, collaborative robots assisting humans are likely to become commonplace over the next 5–10 years. Madan says, “The challenge is not just building the robots, it’s figuring out how to integrate them into the real world, so they can navigate complex environments safely and efficiently.”
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