Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire

Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone

Amazon started out as a bookseller that gradually expanded to other areas as it rode the dot com wave. After the bust Amazon's public visibility waned. Revenues went up, but profits were small if they existed at all. In the last decade it has had a coming out party. Amazon created AWS and launched cloud computing. Prime Video took a page from Netflix and jumped into Hollywood and produced its own shows. The online marketplace took off, while Amazon also launched "store brands". Amazon took on much of its own logistics and provided one day and same day delivery. It manufactured devices such as Echos and Kindles. Amazon also went into the physical stores business with the purchase of Whole Foods and the launch of various other stores like Amazon Fresh.

As Amazon rose up, Jeff Bezos increased his profile. He smoozed with Hollywood. He had a messy divorce and became tabloid fodder. He was also asked to appear before congress. And now Amazon was under heavy scrutiny. It was hurting small sellers, possibly illegally. It was allowing counterfeits. Warehouse workers were not being treated well. Even the corporate culture was called into question. The reliance on "data" did not eliminate subjectivity. The company was having a negative impact on Seattle. In the process of all this, government relations became more important. Amazon had to pick its battles. It opted to support collection of sales tax. (This made it easier to support last-mile delivery - and helped even the playing field with others.) It fought unionization and head taxes in Seattle. Bezos turned the company over to a new CEO, but still has a presence. Amazon feels like a "big company" rather than an innovator.