Billionaire Investor Bets Big on Amazon Amid FTC Scrutiny

While Amazon faces fresh regulatory challenges from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, a prominent billionaire investor is making a massive contrarian bet. Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square funds have invested a substantial $1.35 billion into the e-commerce giant’s stock. This significant move raises questions about whether Ackman has identified hidden value or is entering at a potentially risky juncture.

Regulatory Pressure Mounts

Amazon’s advertising practices have drawn formal scrutiny from the FTC, launching an investigation that could significantly impact the company. Regulators are examining whether the tech giant obscured critical business terms and pricing structures from its advertising clients. A particularly serious allegation suggests Amazon implemented undisclosed minimum pricing requirements without informing advertising customers.

This regulatory uncertainty has weighed on investor sentiment, contributing to pressure on the stock. Amazon recently finished its trading session as one of the weakest performers within the technology sector.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Amazon?

Massive Position Established

Despite these regulatory headwinds, billionaire investor Bill Ackman has established a major position in Amazon. Pershing Square acquired 5.82 million shares valued at approximately $1.35 billion, making this investment one of the fund’s four largest U.S. equity holdings.

This substantial commitment signals strong confidence in Amazon’s fundamental business strength across its diverse operations. The investment reflects belief in the company’s dominant e-commerce platform, rapidly expanding Amazon Web Services cloud division, and growing advertising segment.

AI Investment Cycle Presents Opportunity

Amazon stands to benefit from an unprecedented technology investment cycle, with major tech companies preparing to spend nearly half a trillion dollars on artificial intelligence infrastructure. As a leading cloud services provider through AWS, Amazon is exceptionally positioned to capture significant revenue from this massive expenditure. The critical question remains whether these growth opportunities will outweigh ongoing regulatory concerns.