Amazon named world's smartest company of 2016

MIT Technology review editors pick the 50 companies that best combine innovative technology with an effective business model.

•    Each year it identifies 50 companies that are “smart” in the way they create new opportunities. 
•    Some of this year’s stars are large companies, like Amazon and Alphabet, that are using digital technologies to redefine industries. 
•    Others are wrestling with technological changes: companies like Microsoft, Bosch, Toyota, and Intel.
•    Jeff Bezos-led online retail giant Amazon has topped MIT's annual list of the world's smartest companies of 2016 for combining innovative technology with an effective business model. 
•    Chinese web services company Baidu and the world’s largest DNA-sequencing company Illumine have been ranked second and third respectively. 
•    The list also includes Tesla Motors, Alphabet, Facebook, SpaceX and Snapchat.
•    Last year it included Amazon on its list of the 50 Smartest Companies for incorporating robots into its fulfillment centers. 
•    This year the standout is the surprising success of its Alexa Voice Service and the growing family of devices it powers (the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Tap).