Bezonomics

How Amazon Is Changing Our Lives and What the World's Best Companies Are Learning from It

By: Brian Dumaine, Brian Dumaine - introduction

Narrated by: Dan Bittner

An “illuminating, lucid, and finely detailed” (The Washington Post) look at Amazon’s world-dominating business model, the current competitors either imitating or trying to outfox Amazon, and “how Jeff Bezos turned Amazon into the world’s lockdown necessity” (The Times, UK)—from an award-winning Fortune magazine writer.

Like Henry Ford, Sam Walton, or Steve Jobs in the early years of Ford, Walmart, and Apple, Jeff Bezos is the business story of the decade. Bezos, the richest man on the planet, has built one of the most efficient wealth-creation machines in history with more than 2% of US household income being spent on nearly 500 million products shipped from warehouses in seventeen countries. Amazon’s business model has not only turned the retail industry and cloud computing inside out, but now its tentacles are squeezing media and advertising, and disrupting the state of technology, the economy, job creation, and society at large. Amazon’s impact is so pervasive that business leaders in nearly every sector around the world need to understand how this force of nature operates.

Based on unprecedented behind-the-scenes reporting from 150 sources inside and outside of Amazon, Bezonomics unveils the underlying principles Jeff Bezos uses to achieve his dominance—customer obsession, extreme innovation, and long-term management, all supported by artificial intelligence—and shows how these are being borrowed and replicated by companies across the United States, in China, and elsewhere. Including tips for Amazon-proofing your business, Bezonomics answers the fundamental question: How are Amazon and its imitators affecting the way we live, and what can we learn from them?

A goldmine for some, and a threat for others, “Bezonomics” has proven to be a life-shaping force in our lives both now and in the foreseeable future.

Master Piece

I loved every chapter. A must listen to anyone looking to understand how to survive/compete in the automation age.

Thought Provoking

This is one of those rare business books that is not fawning or overly critical

Overall A Good Book

I felt this was overall a good book. It was thoroughly researched and entertaining. I felt the author do a good job at being objective for the most part. Although I didn’t feel this way really until towards the end of the book. However, it does it’s job of pointing out both the negative and the positive qualities of Amazon.

49% balanced

Very thorough recap of amazon past present and future. The first half reminds me of Goodfellas when you get the sense that all is fun and glamorous with the mob. I was initially concerned that this was a puff piece put out by the Amazon PR Dept. The 2nd half was more balanced and insightful. My takeaway is that omnipotent near monopolies like amazon and facebook need viable competition. We know that the hot or not Zuckerberg from an early age, unequivocally cannot be trusted and ironically is a sociopath under the guise of connecting the world. Bezos ambitions, like Gates seem more transparent. All totaled, this read is worth the time.

Best in Economics

Great review of the Amazon Jungles and how it shapes the largest consumer economy in the world : US