A class-action lawsuit accuses Amazon of intentionally degrading early Fire TV Stick devices to push consumers into buying new ones

A California lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges Amazon deliberately slowed down first and second-generation Fire TV Stick devices before the end of their useful life to spur hardware upgrades, with plaintiff Bill Merewhuader claiming his 2018 second-generation devices became effectively unusable years before he expected them to fail. The complaint also alleges Amazon failed to disclose to buyers that the devices would lose functionality over time, and that the actual performance did not match Amazon's marketing promises. The proposed class action would cover any U.S. resident who still owned a first or second-generation Fire TV Stick as of early 2023.