Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
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Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
Why wecmadde this
Jeff was a voracious reader with an adventurous mind. His grandfather would take him to the library, which had a huge collection of science fiction books. Over the summers Jeff worked his way through the shelves, reading hundreds of them. Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein became his favorites, and later in life he would not only quote them but also
... See moreJeff Bezos • Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
“We’ve made mistakes, doozies like the Fire Phone and many other things that just didn’t work out. I won’t list all of our failed experiments, but the big winners pay for thousands of failed experiments.”
Jeff Bezos • Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
From very early on in Amazon’s life, we knew we wanted to create a culture of builders—people who are curious, explorers. They like to invent. Even when they’re experts, they are “fresh” with a beginner’s mind.
Jeff Bezos • Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
I constantly remind our employees to be afraid, to wake up every morning terrified. Not of our competition, but of our customers. Our customers have made our business what it is, they are the ones with whom we have a relationship, and they are the ones to whom we owe a great obligation. And we consider them to be loyal to us—right up until the... See more
Jeff Bezos • Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
I’m not against beta testing or surveys. But you, the product or service owner, must understand the customer, have a vision, and love the offering. Then, beta testing and research can help you find your blind spots. A remarkable customer experience starts with heart, intuition, curiosity, play, guts, taste. You won’t find any of it in a survey.
Jeff Bezos • Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
When I told my boss, David Shaw, that I was going to do this thing, I went on a long walk with him in Central Park, and he said finally, after a lot of listening, “You know what, Jeff, this is a really good idea. I think you’re onto a good idea here, but this would be a better idea for somebody who didn’t already have a good job.” That actually... See more
Jeff Bezos • Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
The process is not the thing. It’s always worth asking, do we own the process or does the process own us? In a Day 2 company, you might find it’s the second.
Jeff Bezos • Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos, With an Introduction by Walter Isaacson
Avoid PowerPoint and slide presentations. This is a maxim that Steve Jobs also followed. Bezos’s belief in the power of storytelling means that he thinks that his colleagues should be able to create a readable narrative when they pitch an idea. “We don’t do PowerPoint (or any other slide-oriented) presentations at Amazon,” he wrote in a recent... See more