Jeff Bezos

You are currently browsing articles tagged Jeff Bezos.

“It Is The Only Morning Newspaper In The Most Powerful Capital In The World”

September 10, 2013 in Politics, Science/Tech, Urban Studies, Videos | Permalink

Almost 40 years before Jeff Bezos rescued the Washington Post from stegosaurus status, the paper was ascendant in the aftermath of its Watergate reportage, and the focus of a 60 Minutes report by Mike Wallace. Watching Ben Bradlee in this story reminds how perfectly Jason Robards captured him, physically and spiritually, in All the President’s Men. “If we hadn’t been right, we would’ve been dead,” Katherine Graham notes in regards to Watergate, but years later integrity was no match for technology.

Quick question: Without pause, can you name the person ultimately revealed as the Woodward-Bernstein Deep Throat source? For decades, this was one of the mysteries most obsessed about in America, and it seemed to have become an afterthought nearly the moment it was solved. I think the name W. Mark Felt means almost nothing to the vast majority of people in the country today. Even before he passed away, Felt had returned to the shadows.

Tags: , , , , , ,

“It Should Be As Easy To Get A Subscription To The Post As It Is To Buy Diapers On Amazon”

September 5, 2013 in Excerpts, Science/Tech, Urban Studies | Permalink

Via Matt Cantor at Newswer, a few quotes from Jeff Bezos during his visit to the Washington Post offices:

  • “If it’s hopeless, I would feel sorry for you guys, but I wouldn’t want to join you,” he said, per journalist Cara Ann Kelly.
  • Still, “What’s been happening over the last several years can’t continue to happen.”
  • “It should be as easy to get a subscription to the Post as it is to buy diapers on Amazon.”
  • “People will buy a package,” but “they will not pay for (an individual) story.”
  • “All businesses need to be forever young … If your customer base ages with you as a company, you’re Woolworth’s.”
  • As to content: “Don’t be boring.”

Tags: ,

“If He Goes Even Halfway Through With This Much-Vaunted Reinvention Of Journalism, There Is No Way He’s Not Going To Break Some Eggs”

August 19, 2013 in Excerpts, Science/Tech, Urban Studies | Permalink

I’m fascinated by what Jeff Bezos may do with the Washington Post, and I’m not the only one. I think he certainly has a big-picture idea of where it’s going, no matter what he says. He’ll work out the details as he goes, but he has a blueprint. From an article by David Streitfeld and Christine Haughney in the New York Times, another traditional newspaper trying to traverse the digital divide:

“‘Jeff may be outwardly goofy, with that trademark laugh, but he’s a very tough guy,’ said James Marcus, who was Amazon employee No. 55. ‘If he goes even halfway through with his much-vaunted reinvention of journalism, there is no way he’s not going to break some eggs.’

Mr. Bezos is the sole founder, the public face, the largest shareholder and the visionary of Amazon. ‘For many of us, creating Earth’s biggest bookstore would have been enough,’ said Kerry Fried, employee No. 251. ‘Jeff’s goal was a touch grander: to conquer the world.’

He has more than his share of detractors — just ask your neighborhood bookseller, if you can find one. But it is increasingly hard to dispute that he is the natural heir of Steve Jobs as the entrepreneur with the most effect on the way people live now.

Amazon, which is as much a reflection of Mr. Bezos’ personality as a corporation worth $125 billion can be, is by far the fastest-growing major retailer, although that simple label long ago ceased to suffice. It is also a movie studio, an art gallery (a 1962 Picasso,’Jacqueline au Chapeau Noir,‘ can be had for $175,000) and a publisher. It is an empire that spans much of the globe and even has its own currency, Amazon Coins. What it does not have much of, and never did, are old-fashioned profits.”

Tags: , , , ,

“Amazon Launching Their Own Store Will Give Customers A Way To Physically Buy Books”

February 6, 2012 in Books, Excerpts, Science/Tech, Urban Studies | Permalink

Amazon is opening a boutique retail store in Seattle, à la the Apple Stores, to sell the Kindle line. If it proves profitable, Jeff Bezos might open a chain of shops around the country, maybe internationally. In addition to selling their e-reader, Amazon will likely sell the physical books that they have begun publishing. It would be great if they also offered a carefully curated selection of books outside of their own imprint, perhaps some seminal tech books. Either way, it may likely be the final chain of stores selling physical books that will ever open in America. An excerpt from a Goodreader.com post on the topic by Michael Kozlowski:

“Amazon sources close to the situation have told us that the company is planning on rolling out a retail store in Seattle within the next few months. This project is a test to gauge the market and see if a chain of stores would be profitable. They intend on going with the small boutique route with the main emphasis on books from their growing line of Amazon Exclusives and selling their e-readers and tablets.

Seattle is where Amazon’s main headquarters is based and is known as a fairly tech savvy market. It is a perfect launch location to get some hands on experience in the retail sphere. A source has told us that they are not looking to launch a huge store with thousands of square feet. Instead they are going the boutique route and stocking the shelves with only high margin and high-end items. Their intention is to mainly hustle their entire line of Kindle e-Readers and the Kindle Fire. They also will be stocking a ton of accessories such as cases, screen protectors, and USB adapters.

The company has already contracted the design layout of the retail location through a shell company, which is not unusual for Amazon. When Amazon releases new products to the FCC it is always done through anonymous proxy companies to avoid disclosure to their competition on what they are working on. While we don’t know the actual name of the firm they are working with we have heard rumors that they are based in Germany.

The store itself is not just selling tangible items like e-readers and tablets, but also their books. Amazon recently started their own publishing division and has locked up many indie and prominent figures to write exclusively for the company. This has prompted their rivals such as Barnes and Noble, Indigo and Books-A-Million to publicly proclaim they won’t touch Amazon’s physical books with a ten-foot pole. Amazon launching their own store will give customers a way to physically buy books and also sample ebooks via WIFI when they are in a physical location.”

Tags: ,

“Fire Is A Loss Leader, Meant As A Gateway To Other Amazon Purchases”

November 14, 2011 in Excerpts, Science/Tech, Urban Studies | Permalink

They’ve put the cash register in your pocket, Amazon has, and it is shiny and compact and beautiful. No, the Kindle Fire is apparently not a great tablet, but that isn’t the point. Jeff Bezos’ willingness to sell each Kindle Fire at a loss let’s you know that his goal is to ensure you are able to make impulse buys no matter where you are, that you will always be at a check-out line, that you will load up on media. You can do these things with your laptop or your phone, but no previous tech item has been as aggressive as the Fire in regard to ancillary sales. The razor will be cheap, but the blades will be expensive. From Rebecca J.Rosen’s new Atlantic piece:

“There is one thing, however, that the Fire seems to excel at: Being a store. As Jon Philips writes at Wired, ‘Indeed, the Fire is a fiendishly effective shopping portal in the guise of a 7-inch slate.’ And that’s no surprise, since it’s been known for quite a while that the Fire is a loss leader, meant as a gateway to other Amazon purchases.

But with Amazon as one of only four companies competing in the Great Battle to Rule Our Digital Future (Facebook, Apple, and Google being the three others), the Kindle Fire is our best and latest clue as to what Amazon’s vision for that future is: The Internet as a store — and that store is Amazon. As Amazon continues to increase its offerings beyond Amazon.com, expect those offerings (tablets, e-readers, apps) to always in some way have the growth of Amazon.com’s sales as a fundamental purpose. “

Read also:

Tags: ,

“It Was Totally Jobsed, So To Speak”

September 29, 2011 in Excerpts, Science/Tech, Urban Studies, Videos | Permalink

Gizmodo has a good post by Mat Honan which fleshes out what became obvious yesterday after Amazon’s dazzling Kindle Fire presentation: For the time being, Jeff Bezos will fill the void created by Steve Jobs stepping aside at Apple. Amazon has always been formidable, but a little blah. No more. An excerpt:

“And so when it was all over, the press, the great opinionator that drives purchasing decisions, was utterly flabbergasted. It was totally Jobsed, so to speak. Hypnotized and drawn in by the mind-blowing Bezos.

Much of that that is because of his passion. You can see it in his eyes, full of zeal and bordering on crazy. He isn’t just conning you, he believes in it. He feels strongly that he’s got the right product, at the right time. And so watch him and you will too.

And yet, it’s not just about his salesmanship. ‘Jeff Bezos is the new Ron Popeil‘ is a whole other story. He mirrors Apple’s former CEO in a host of other ways as well.

Most obviously, he’s a founder/CEO. Amazon is his. Yes, it’s a public company, but it goes where his vision takes it. It follows his mind into markets. Amazon is Jeff Bezos. Without him it would be adrift.”

••••••••••

“The instruction we find in books is like fire”:

Tags: , ,

Newer entries »