No One Likes Amazon’s Delivery Drones. They Also Don’t Work.

Amazon dreamed of a drone delivery program that would be so successful that it could achieve the true goal of every major corporation in America—to not have to pay humans a single cent for their labor.

Amazon’s dream of reducing its workforce to a series of robots under the command of a man named Jeff seems to me faltering, as the program launched in 2022 is facing some big problems. Namely, it’s loud as hell.  

They’re so noisy that the sound might lead to the death of one of their pilot program locations. The program launched pilot programs in three cities: Lockeford, California; College Station, Texas; and a small area just outside of Phoenix, Arizona.

The Lockeford program was closed in 2024 for undisclosed reasons and now it seems like the College Station program could face a similar fate since locals are practically begging Amazon to quit making a racket.

Amazon’s Delivery Drone Program Is Falling Apart

Speaking with Wired, one resident described the noise as like if “your neighbor runs their leaf blower all day long.” And he should know because that resident’s occupation is described by Wired as a “master gardener.” I would assume a master of gardens knows a thing or two about leaf blowers.

He wasn’t the only one complaining. When Amazon thought about doubling the number of drone deliveries it would make, hundreds of residents spoke out against it, arguing that the noise was bad enough as it was. No need to make it worse.

Maybe people don’t need products delivered to them instantaneously if it means having to live in a place that sounds like it’s been overrun by RC cars and electric hair clippers.

The Prime Air program has faced a slew of issues outside of noise complaints. Drones in Arizona can’t fly in temperatures over 104 degrees, and drones in Oregon kept crashing thanks to heavy rains.

It seems modern drone technology continues to be bested by its mortal enemy: common regional weather patterns.