Mark Lennihan/AP Amazon announced a whole bevy of new Alexa-powered hardware on Thursday, including a microwave, a car gadget, and a smart plug. The thing is, though, that some of Amazon's buddies in the world of electronics manufacturing already offer Alexa-integrated devices in all of those categories. This means Amazon is now competing with some of the partners showing it the most support. To be fair to Amazon, the world of smart home appliances is growing fast and far from settled, and the retailer could simply be trying to show the rest of the market how it's done. But if this is how Amazon treats its friends, I would hate to be its enemy. If this is how Amazon treats its friends, I would hate to be its enemy.