The $2.5 Billion Verdict: FTC's Historic Settlement with Amazon The Federal Trade Commission's extraction of a $2.5 billion settlement from Amazon in late 2025 stands as the definitive regulatory event of the decade. This Amazon VS FTC judgment validates the long-suspected hypothesis: Amazon Prime’s retention metrics were not solely the result of consumer loyalty, but the product of a scientifically engineered entrapment engine known internally as Project Iliad. This section deconstructs the financial and operational mechanics that necessitated a ten-figure penalty. We analyze the specific data points from the unsealed "Iliad" files, the churn-suppression algorithms, and the revenue modeling that proves this fine was a mathematical inevitability. The Mathematics of "Iliad": Engineering Nonconsensual Retention The settlement rests on the exposure