Now I haven't spoken with the author, but I would guess his motive is to inform you about something, link you to the thing they are talking about, and possibly make some money all at the same time. If this was an article on one of those ridiculous, obvious blogspam type websites, then yes, I'd be wary too.
Fancy hands isn't even automation, and tbh Amazon's service isn't that useful unless you're running a business...
....But both allow referral links. Call me a cynic, but it strikes me that this person had a referral link to Fancy Hands, threw in Amazon's obscure service because Amazon also allows referrals, and gave it a catchy headline of "automation".
I didn't think Refer.ly had any target market, but it appears we found one potential customer.
