Amazon.com

In this comprehensive exploration of Amazon's evolution, hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal discuss the company's early challenges, strategic pivots, and the relentless innovation that propelled its growth from an online bookstore to a dominant global technology and retail giant. They reflect on Amazon's initial public offering (IPO), its survival through the dot-com crash, and the significant contributions of key figures like Jeff Bezos, Joy Covey, and Tom Alberg. As they dissect Amazon's development of customer-centric services like Amazon Prime and the Kindle, they also consider the influence of competitors like eBay and the strategic decisions that allowed Amazon to outpace them. Throughout the episode, they emphasize Amazon's ability to learn from failures, capitalize on opportunities during downturns, and maintain a long-term vision focused on customer loyalty and maximizing future cash flows.

• Episode dedicated to Tom Alberg, a significant figure in the technology and business community.
• Tom Alberg's contributions to the technology ecosystem, particularly in Seattle.
• His involvement in building the law firm Perkins Coie and telecommunications firms Western Wireless and McCaw Cellular.
• Personal impact on the hosts, Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, and their careers.
• Tom's role as the longest-serving Amazon board member and lead independent director.

"We'll all remember Tom. He gave back in so many wonderful ways. And this episode is dedicated to you, Tom Alberg. Thank you."

• This quote expresses gratitude towards Tom Alberg for his contributions and signifies the dedication of the episode to his memory.

• The episode focuses on Amazon.com, a highly influential business in the past 30 years.
• The hosts' initial hesitation in covering Amazon due to its ubiquity and the desire to present something unexpected.
• Previous coverage of Amazon-related topics in earlier episodes.
• Decision to cover Amazon's story due to its significance in technology business history.
• The episode aims to cater to both long-time students of Amazon and newcomers.

"Today, we'll be tackling Amazon.com, the website that sells books and now everything else on the World Wide Web."

• This quote introduces the main subject of the episode, Amazon.com, and highlights its evolution from a bookseller to a retailer of virtually everything.

• Exploration of why Amazon succeeded while many of its contemporaries failed.
• Announcement of launching a merchandise store in partnership with Cotton Bureau.
• The hosts invite listeners to support the merch store and engage with them on social media.

"So first, we have some big, big news here at acquired World HQ. After seven years of beating back requests, we are finally launching a merch store."

• The quote announces the launch of the Acquired podcast's merchandise store, a significant development for the show.

• Pilot is a company offering accounting, tax, and bookkeeping services for startups and growth companies.
• Pilot is the largest startup-focused accounting firm in the US.
• Discussion of outsourcing non-core activities to focus on what makes a company's product better.
• Pilot's services span from basic bookkeeping to CFO-level tasks.
• Special offer for Acquired listeners using a promo link.

"Pilot both sets up and operates your company's entire financial stack."

• This quote explains Pilot's comprehensive financial services for companies, emphasizing the convenience for startups.

• Promotion of the Acquired LP Show, featuring an interview with Austin Federa from the Solana Foundation.
• Reminder that the show is not investment advice and is for entertainment purposes only.
• Acknowledgement of the hosts' personal investments in companies discussed on the show.

"This show is not investment advice. David and I may have investments, certainly have investments, certainly the companies we will discuss this time."

• The quote serves as a disclaimer to clarify that the podcast is for entertainment and not a source of investment advice.

• Jeff Bezos's birth and early family life, including his parents' divorce and his mother's remarriage to Mike Bezos.
• Bezos's childhood, education, and summers spent at his grandparents' ranch in Texas.
• His academic achievements, including being valedictorian and attending Princeton University.
• Bezos's early career in the technology and finance sectors, including his work at Bankers Trust and D. E. Shaw.
• His marriage to Mackenzie Scott and his role in recruiting key early Amazon employees while at D. E. Shaw.

"Jeff Bezos's adopted father. And his story is incredible and actually sort of touches our stories in a very small way."

• The quote refers to Mike Bezos's remarkable journey and his influence on Jeff Bezos's life.

• Jeff Bezos's increasing interest in the potential of the Internet and online commerce.
• The decision to leave D. E. Shaw to pursue the idea of an online bookstore.
• The development of the "regret minimization framework" to guide Bezos's decision to start Amazon.
• The initial plan to create an intermediary platform between consumers and manufacturers, which evolved into the concept of an online bookstore.
• The strategic choice of books as the initial product category due to their commodity nature and the existence of two major book distributors.

"With that huge diversity of products, you could build a store online that simply could not exist in any other way."

• This quote captures the unique advantage of the Internet in offering an unprecedented selection of products, which was a key insight for Amazon's business model.

• The decision to relocate from New York to Seattle to start Amazon.
• Factors influencing the choice of Seattle, including proximity to book distributors, no state income tax, and access to technical talent.
• The recruitment of Shell Kappin, Amazon's first non-Mackenzie employee, and his background in Silicon Valley startups.
• The Supreme Court ruling on sales tax collection influencing the decision to avoid establishing Amazon in California.

"Seattle is the obvious choice, which you wouldn't pick today because this self-perpetuating thing, because of Amazon and the ecosystem that they and Microsoft would jointly create here."

• The quote reflects on how Amazon's success has transformed Seattle into a less ideal location for a new startup due to increased population and competition for technical talent.

• Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie were incorporating the business while driving to Seattle.
• The original name for the business was intended to be "Cadabra."
• The name "Cadabra" was mistaken for "cadaver," which was a sign it may not be the best choice.
• Jeff Bezos also considered "Relentless.com," which still redirects to Amazon.
• The name "Amazon" was chosen for its association with Earth's largest river and the goal of being Earth's largest selection.

"But I think a thing that did happen while Mackenzie is driving and Jeff is sort of working on the drive out is Jeff's on the phone with a lawyer. He's like, incorporate the business. I want it to be called Cadabra."

The quote explains the moment when Jeff Bezos was on the call with a lawyer to incorporate the business and suggested the name "Cadabra," highlighting the initial naming process.

• Amazon's first office was in a garage in Bellevue, retrofitted for Shell Kaphan to program.
• Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos invested $95,000 of their own money, Shell Kaphan invested $5,000, and Jeff's parents invested $100,000.
• Mackenzie Bezos handled the bookkeeping and was the first CFO.
• Jeff Bezos took a course in bookselling to build relationships in the industry.
• Shell Kaphan was a critical early hire, making key technology choices, including selecting Oracle over Sybase.

"So they just need one more thing, which is capital. Jeff and Mackenzie had done great at De Shaw, so they put in $95,000 to start."

This quote explains the initial capital investment by Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos to start Amazon, emphasizing their financial commitment to the business.

• Shell Kaphan was not a database expert but chose Oracle for Amazon's database needs.
• Amazon had to adapt to the limitations of the early Internet, such as lack of trust with credit card transactions.
• Amazon built two storefronts: one accessible via email and one via web, but the web became the focus.
• Early Amazon had to invent ways to handle online shopping carts and user sessions without cookies.
• Obidos, an engine Shell built, allowed dynamic web page generation and passing IDs through URLs for user tracking.

"And there's a couple interesting things here, one of which is the technology choice of databases."

This quote introduces the discussion about the foundational technology decisions made by Amazon, particularly the choice of database software, which was pivotal for their online operations.

• Amazon experienced rapid growth, selling books in all 50 states and 45 countries within weeks of launch.
• They successfully launched to the public without spending on marketing, relying on word-of-mouth and media interest.
• The site's usability and value proposition attracted a broad user base beyond early adopters.
• Amazon's first year of public operation generated significant revenue, indicating strong product-market fit.

"But it's just people telling their friends, can't do that today. Like $25,000 in revenue. Like in two weeks. You launch something today, nobody's going to use it."

The quote reflects on the organic growth and immediate success of Amazon after launch, contrasting it with the challenges new companies face today in gaining traction.

• Amazon faced potential threats from established retailers like Barnes & Noble, which planned to enter the online space.
• The company had to navigate lawsuits and aggressive competition while continuing to grow.
• Amazon's strategy focused on building a robust e-commerce logistics system, differentiating it from traditional retailers.
• The recruitment of Walmart executives, including Rick Dalzell, brought valuable retail logistics expertise to Amazon.

"The shift from that to mailing small orders to individual customers was long, painful, and full of customer service errors."

This quote highlights the challenges traditional retailers faced when attempting to adapt to e-commerce, which Amazon capitalized on by focusing on direct-to-customer logistics from the start.

• Amazon hired MBAs to expand into various new categories.
• Andy Jassy was tasked with Amazon Music and CDs.
• Jason Kylar was responsible for DVDs.
• Victoria Pickett worked on box software.
• Harrison Miller focused on toys.
• Chris Payne managed electronics.
• Jeff Blackburn led business development, acquiring other Internet companies.

"All these mbas they're all tasked with adding a new category to Amazon music and cds. That's what Jassy does. Kylar does dvds. Victoria does box software. Harrison Miller does toys. Chris Payne does electronics. Jeff Blackburn leads bd and starts buying all these other Internet companies pretty quickly."

The quote highlights the strategic hiring and role allocation at Amazon during its expansion phase, with MBAs being brought in to spearhead growth in various product categories and business development.

• Amazon and eBay were initially not seen as direct competitors.
• eBay began as AuctionWeb in 1995 and became venture-backed in 1997, after Amazon went public.
• Benchmark's investment in eBay yielded one of the greatest venture returns.
• eBay's IPO in 1998 valued the company at $2 billion.
• Amazon and eBay's competition intensified as their business models began to overlap.

"Amazon and eBay, they're competing much more head to head than people originally thought."

This quote underscores the evolving competitive landscape between Amazon and eBay, challenging the initial perception that they operated in distinct spaces.

• eBay was initially perceived as the superior .com business.
• The rapid growth from Series A funding to a $2 billion market cap IPO in 1998 was unprecedented.
• eBay's market cap reached $25 billion by 1999, showcasing its dominance at the time.

"eBay was the winner at this point in time. Everyone just looked at it and was like, oh, that's the best.com business."

The quote captures the sentiment of the market during eBay's rapid rise, emphasizing its status as a leading online business during the .com era.

• Amazon's leadership, including Jeff Bezos, met with eBay's Meg Whitman and Pierre Omidyar.
• The meeting involved discussions about Amazon potentially acquiring eBay.
• Meg Whitman's focus was on high-margin Internet businesses, avoiding the operational complexities of warehouses.

"Meg and Pierre get back to Silicon Valley, and supposedly, according to Brad, Pierre's like, wow, that was really cool, man. That fulfillment center, they're building something very differentiated."

This quote reflects the recognition of Amazon's strategic differentiation through its fulfillment centers, as observed by eBay's founders.

• Jeff Bezos's long-term vision focused on customer delight and reliable shipping.
• Amazon's approach involved being both a merchant and fulfilling orders to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Bezos believed in aligning customer interests with shareholder interests over the long term.

"Long term, there is never any misalignment between customer interest and shareholder interest."

Bezos's quote encapsulates his philosophy that prioritizing customers ultimately benefits shareholders, highlighting his infinite time horizon thinking.

• Amazon's secret project aimed to clone eBay within Amazon.
• Amazon Auctions, an exact clone of eBay, launched but ultimately flopped.
• Amazon acquired accept.com to prevent eBay from improving its payment system.
• The acquisition of Junglee led to the involvement of Ram Shriram, who later invested in Google.

"Jeff Bezos turns to Jeff Blackburn is like, auctions could be the future. We're going to start a secret project to clone ebay within Amazon."

The quote reveals Bezos's strategic thinking and Amazon's aggressive approach to competing with eBay by attempting to replicate its auction model internally.

• Amazon experienced financial difficulties, leading to layoffs and a focus on profitability.
• The company launched Amazon Marketplace, integrating third-party sellers into its product pages.
• Marketplace quickly accounted for a significant portion of customer orders.
• Amazon achieved profitability in Q4 of 2001, marking a significant turnaround.

"In Q. Four of 2001, they do 1.1 billion of revenue, 59 million of operating income, 35 million of pro forma adjusted net income, excluding stock based comp and other non cash expenses."

This quote details Amazon's financial performance in Q4 2001, highlighting the company's achievement of profitability and operational success.

• Amazon recognized the importance of search and started a subsidiary, A9, to improve search capabilities on Amazon.com.
• The focus on search led to the development of Amazon's authoritative product catalog and better search experience.
• Amazon leveraged its search data to build an advertising business model.

"Treat Google like a mountain. You can climb the mountain, but you can't move it. Use them, but don't make them smarter."

Bezos's metaphor illustrates Amazon's approach to dealing with Google's dominance in search, emphasizing strategic use without enhancing a competitor's capabilities.

• Martin Eberhard and Mark Tarpening, who later founded Tesla, initially pitched an e-reader concept to Jeff Bezos.
• Amazon launched Lab 126 with the mission to create an e-reader, leading to the Kindle.
• The Kindle's success was due to its E ink technology and the ability to purchase e-books wirelessly.

"Jeff calls Martin back up, but they've already started Tesla at this point and he's yo, we got to do this now."

The quote indicates the urgency with which Bezos pursued the e-reader project, influenced by the founders of Tesla, leading to the development of the Kindle.

• Hyperscalers like AWS, Google, and Azure need to build data centers close to major internet traffic hubs.
• This geographical requirement is due to their business models that rely on providing cloud services.
• By contrast, other companies may choose different locations based on their specific infrastructure needs.

"Locations where quote unquote energy happens, as opposed to the other hyperscalers such as AWS and Google and Azure who need to build their data centers close to major traffic hubs where the Internet happens because they are doing everything in their clouds."

This quote highlights the strategic placement of data centers for hyperscalers like AWS, Google, and Azure, which is essential for their cloud-based services.

• The concept comes from Hamilton Helmer's book "Seven Powers."
• It identifies seven strategies that enable a business to sustainably outperform competitors.
• The seven powers are counter-positioning, scale economies, switching costs, network economies, process power, branding, and cornered resource.

"The core idea is really investigating what it is that enables a business to achieve persistent differential returns or basically be more profitable than their closest competitor and do so sustainably."

The quote summarizes the essence of the Seven Powers framework, which is about identifying the key strategic advantages that allow a business to maintain superior profits over competitors.

• Jeff Bezos wanted to transform variable customer experience costs into fixed costs.
• Amazon Prime is an example of scale economies where features can be amortized across a massive customer base.
• This strategy creates operating leverage and customer loyalty, making it difficult for competitors with fewer customers to match Amazon's experience.

"This would cost us the exact same amount to build this thing that provides customer confidence whether we had a million customers or 70 million customers."

Explaining scale economies, the quote illustrates how Amazon's investment in customer confidence features doesn't increase with the number of customers, showcasing the advantage of scale.

• Customer loyalty is paramount, and Jeff Bezos learned this from Jim Senegal of Costco.
• Costco's business model focuses on gross margin dollars over the life of a customer, not percentage margins.
• The membership model creates a sunk cost effect and endowment effect, leading to high customer loyalty and reduced advertising costs.

"Customer loyalty is the thing that matters. And in particular, because as we all know, Jeff is absolutely laser-focused on not gross margin percentage, but the absolute dollar amount of margin dollars over a full customer lifetime that you can sort of get, which is such a lesson from Costco."

The quote emphasizes the importance of customer loyalty and lifetime value over short-term margins, a principle Jeff Bezos adopted from Costco's approach.

• Amazon's flywheel concept involves improving operations, pricing, selection, and convenience to attract more customers and sellers.
• The flywheel is self-reinforcing, with each element feeding into the next to drive growth.
• Amazon's ability to turn inventory quickly and its use of third-party sellers are part of its successful flywheel strategy.

"Amazon, through having all of this leverage that we just talked about in their operation, this operating leverage and float and all these wonderful things they can work on charging even lower prices, providing even more vendor selection and even better convenience."

This quote describes how Amazon's operational efficiencies and financial strategies allow it to continuously improve and grow its business through the flywheel effect.

• Amazon has built strong brand power, where customers are willing to pay more for the convenience and trust associated with the brand.
• The company has also developed network effects through its marketplace, attracting more sellers and customers, reinforcing its market position.

"That is an incredible, incredible brand power that they've built."

The quote acknowledges the significant brand power Amazon has established, which contributes to its competitive advantage and customer trust.

• Amazon's early growth was fueled by equity and debt financing, with a focus on future cash flows over immediate GAAP profits.
• The company's strategy involved aggressive reinvestment in growth, leading to a durable competitive advantage.
• Investor sentiment during the dot-com crash was skeptical, but Amazon's continued growth and customer value proposition justified its approach.

"When forced to choose between optimizing the appearance of our GAAP accounting and maximizing the present value of future cash flows, we'll take the cash flows."

This quote from an early shareholder letter by Jeff Bezos indicates Amazon's long-term focus on cash flows and growth potential rather than short-term accounting profits.