Amazon and Walmart’s rivalry is reshaping how we’ll buy everything in the future

Walmart's ongoing battle with Amazon for the retail crown is expanding well beyond retail, and it's forcing one of the largest companies in the world to reexamine its DNA. In the last six months alone, Walmart has partnered with scores of tech firms to better compete with Amazon and make progress in markets that may become pivotal years down the line. It's also begun rethinking how it views itself: a traditional big-box retail giant that now hopes it can be nimble enough to compete with one of technology's most powerful players.

Following its purchase of Jet.com to advance its e-commerce efforts in 2016, Walmart has starting accelerating its shift from retail giant to tech-focused partner. Those deals now include a partnership with A...

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