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A review by realz
Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone
5.0
I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning how Bezos turned the everything store into a hyper-scale, multifaceted empire and what that means in the modern global economy. Stone's research was astonishingly detailed. I learned a lot about the workings of the inner-sanctum of Amazon. The information in the book shouldn't be too surprising, except I work for Amazon and have been doing it for the last five years. The scale at which Amazon operates makes it impossible for anyone to keep up with the entire Amazon business. Heck, Stone writes that even Bezos couldn't keep up. Amazon Unbound reads like it's a continuation of Stone's earlier book "The everything store." But thankfully, Stone has limited repeating himself.
The book follows Bezos and his conglomerate's successes and failures in the late 2010s. Stone writes extensively about the cultural and political challenges Amazon faced in China and how they impacted Amazon's approach in India. Looking beyond Amazon, Stone's rigorous research provides valuable insights into Bezos's acquisition of The WaPo, the creation of Blue Origin, and other behind-the-scenes coverage of the salacious matters that were made popular the venerated National Inquirer. Once again, I was amazed at the sheer amount of information Stone had compiled. Given Amazon's secretive culture, I don't even know how the author could get quotes from internal Amazon meetings. Stone has produced a commendable piece of journalistic art.
I follow Amazon news pretty closely, and when I started reading it, I wasn't expecting to find new information. I am glad I didn't let my assumption get in my way. If you're an AMZN news follower like me, this book will explain various events that might have affected your portfolio.
If you're an Amazon shareholder, I highly recommend you read this book. If you're a left-leaning person and worried about Amazon's impact on mom and pop stores, read it for sure. The book changed my view on Amazon and, ultimately, big tech's role going forward. It also underscores how our current labor, patent, anti-trust, and tax laws are out of touch.
The book follows Bezos and his conglomerate's successes and failures in the late 2010s. Stone writes extensively about the cultural and political challenges Amazon faced in China and how they impacted Amazon's approach in India. Looking beyond Amazon, Stone's rigorous research provides valuable insights into Bezos's acquisition of The WaPo, the creation of Blue Origin, and other behind-the-scenes coverage of the salacious matters that were made popular the venerated National Inquirer. Once again, I was amazed at the sheer amount of information Stone had compiled. Given Amazon's secretive culture, I don't even know how the author could get quotes from internal Amazon meetings. Stone has produced a commendable piece of journalistic art.
I follow Amazon news pretty closely, and when I started reading it, I wasn't expecting to find new information. I am glad I didn't let my assumption get in my way. If you're an AMZN news follower like me, this book will explain various events that might have affected your portfolio.
If you're an Amazon shareholder, I highly recommend you read this book. If you're a left-leaning person and worried about Amazon's impact on mom and pop stores, read it for sure. The book changed my view on Amazon and, ultimately, big tech's role going forward. It also underscores how our current labor, patent, anti-trust, and tax laws are out of touch.