First Mover: Jeff Bezos In His Own Words

Book excerpt: Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore based out of his garage. Since then, the ever-expanding enterprise has revolutionized shopping and, in many important ways, invented e-commerce as we know it. Today, Amazon is the third-most valuable company in the world, and Bezos's vast customer-oriented empire has mushroomed to include everything from cloud computing and fresh food delivery to movie production and consumer electronics. In recent years, Bezos also has invested in rocket technology, newspaper publishing, and artificial intelligence. Every arm of Bezos's business, however, is guided by a fundamental goal: to give customers what they want before they even think to ask for it. First Mover: Jeff Bezos In His Own Words offers a unique look into the mind of one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs by collecting more than 500 of Bezos's quotes on business, technology, customer service, e-commerce, innovation, entrepreneurship, and more. Meticulously curated from interviews, speeches, shareholder letters, press releases, and other sources, First Mover creates a comprehensive picture of Jeff Bezos, his obsessions, and what makes his ventures thrive. After more than 20 years at the helm of Amazon and its subsidiaries, Bezos continues to operate on what he calls "Day One time" in order to maintain the early experimental spirit of his business. Since the beginning, when he first saw the potential of the internet as a powerful tool for commerce, he has looked for trends and technologies that can alter not just business but daily life. First Mover reveals in detail a man who wants to push the future forward—and will inspire readers to do the same.