While the average Hackaday reader is arguably less likely than most to install a megacorp’s listening device in their home, we know there’s at least some of you out there that have an Amazon hockey puck or two sitting on a shelf. The fact is, they offer some compelling possibilities for DIY automation, even if you do have to jump through a few uncomfortable hoops to bend them to your will.

That being said, we’re willing to bet very few readers have bothered installing more than a few Alexa Skills. But that’s not a judgment based on any kind of nerd stereotype — it’s just that nobody seems to care about them. A fact that’s evidenced by the recent revelation that even Amazon looks to be losing interest in the program. In a post on LinkedIn, Skill developer [Mark Tucker] shared an email he received from the mothership explaining they were ending the AWS Promotional Credits for Alexa (APCA) program on June 30th.

For those that haven’t tried their hand at developing an Alexa Skill, there’s a frustrating amount of back-end stuff that needs to happen to enable even the most basic of functionality. Not surprisingly, a lot of it relies on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which in turn means somebody has to foot the bill for it. Up until now, Amazon was giving out AWS credits to Alexa Skill developers so this wasn’t as much of a concern. But now that the program is ending, developers will need to decide if its worth coming out of their own pocket to keep their Skills running.

That wouldn’t be such a problem, if it wasn’t for the fact that Alexa Skills are an absolute dumpster fire. The listing of the top Skills is a wasteland — if these are the best voice-enabled applications that have been developed after nearly a decade, we can see why Amazon is ending the gravy train. We’re talking BonziBuddy levels of utility here. Judging by their reviews, it seems even the people using the things hate them.

It’s still possible to self-host Alexa Skills for free, which is probably what most hackers would be doing anyway if they wanted to spin up one of their own. But this definitely isn’t good news for the long-term viability of Skills. One has to wonder how long Amazon will keep the lights on for this particular feature if the big name culturally relevant applications like Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? decide to bail. If all the blood, sweat, and tears that the developers of Easy Yoga shed to bring a solid 2.5 star experience to nearly 100 people can’t financially sustain itself, what have we been working towards all this time?
We love you too, Tommy.
Of course, Amazon can’t completely abandon Skills. There needs to be some kind of plugin system in place so companies can get their smart crap devices working with Alexa. But we wouldn’t be surprised if, within the next few years, they switch it over to some kind of curated collection. If Belkin is willing to pay Amazon to keep their Wemo devices working with Alexa, so be it.

But as much as we applaud the effort, we think the two of you that developed Skills just to listen to the latest Hackaday posts through your smart speaker might be out of luck.