YOU DON’T SEE THAT KIND OF A
DROP VERY OFF THE BEN BUT YOU
HAVE IN SPOTIFY.
THAT STOCK IS DOWN ABOUT 30
BUCKS.
>>> AMAZON DOWN 12 BUCKS A
FRACTION OF 1%.
JEFF BEZOS IS STEPPING DOWN,
ANDY JASSY REPLACES HIM AS CEO.
AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK, WORKING
BACKWARDS.
HE IS A FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF
AMAZON.
HE IS, WAS, CHIEF OF STAFF TO
JEFF BEZOS HIMSELF.
ALL RIGHT, COLIN.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
WHAT IS JEFF BEZOS GOING TO DO
NOW?
>> WELL, WE’LL HAVE TO SEE.
HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO FOCUS ON
OF HIS EITHER ENDEAVORS, BLUE
ORIGIN SPACE, DAY ONE FUND AND
CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVES.
HE WILL ALSO BE INVOLVED IN
AMAZON ON NEW INITIATIVES, WHAT
WE LIKE TO CALL ONE-DAY DOORS,
DECISIONS THAT YOU MAKE THAT ARE
HARD TO REVERSE.
HE WILL STILL BE INVOLVED IN
AMAZON MOVING FORWARD, JUST IN A
DIFFERENT ROLE.
STUART: OKAY.
YOU WERE WITH HIM FOR MANY, MANY
YEARS.
YOU WERE VERY, VERY CLOSE TO
HIM.
HIS RIGHT-HAND MAN, HIS SHADOW,
WHAT PEOPLE WERE SAYING ABOUT
YOU.
WHEN HE CAME INTO ENORMOUS
WEALTH, I THINK RATHER SUDDENLY,
DID THAT CHANGE HIM?
>> YOU KNOW, IT DIDN’T FROM THE
VERY FIRST DAY I MET JEFF WHEN I
STARTED WORKING AT AMAZON IN
MARCH OF 1998.
HE TOLD ME THAT HIS GOAL WAS TO
BUILD EARTH’S MOST CUSTOMER
CENTRIC COMPANY AND FROM THAT
DAY I MET HIM HE REALLY STUCK TO
THAT MISSION AND VISION NO
MATTER WHAT THE GYRATIONS OF THE
STOCK PRICE OVER THAT ENSUING 20
PLUS YEARS.
SO YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY SOME OF
THE THINGS HE CAN DO NOW AND
CAPABILITIES ARE QUITE DIFFERENT
OF BOTH JEFF HIMSELF AND AMAZON
AS IT HAS GROWN TO SCALE BUT AT
ITS HART BUILDING CUSTOMER,
EARTH’S MOST CUSTOMER FOLK
DISCUSSED COMPANY THAT HAS NOT
CHANGED SINCE THE DAY I MET HIM.
STUART: WAS HE A GOOD BOSS?
>> HE WAS.
I CONSIDER HIM MY FRIEND.
HE HOLDS EVERYONE INCLUDING
HIMSELF TO INCREDIBLY HIGH
STANDARDS.
HE WON’T COMPROMISE ON THE
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
HE HAS A UNSHAKABLE CONVICTION
THE LONG-TERM INTEREST OF
CUSTOMERS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE
PERFECTLY ALIGNED AND HE IS
WILLING TO BE MISUNDERSTOOD
WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE COMPANY
AND CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM
THAT CONVICTION AND I THINK THAT
ONE OF THE THINGS MADE AMAZON AN
ENDURING COMPANY MOVING FORWARD.
STUART: DOES HE HIDE FROM THE
PUBLIC?
I ASKED THE QUESTION BECAUSE
I’VE NOT SEEN MUCH OF HIM.
HE RARELY APPEARS.
IS HE TO SOME DEGREE IN HIDING?
>> HE IS NOT IN HIDING.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS WORKING
WITH HIM, SO I SPENT, YOU KNOW,
ABOUT 10 HOURS A DAY WORKING
WITH JEFF IN THE 2000S AND HE
SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME ENERGY
INWARDLY FOCUSED ON THE COMPANY.
REALLY FOCUSING HOW TO BUILD AN
ENDURING COMPANY.
THAT IS A LOT OF WORK THAT UNDER
THE TIP OF ICEBERG PEOPLE
OUTSIDE OF AMAZON DON’T GET TO
SEE.
I THINK PERHAPS ONE OF JEFF’S,
AMAZON’S BIGGEST LEGACIES.
AMAZON CREATED WHAT WE CALL AN
INVENTION MACHINE WHICH IS A SET
OF PRINCIPLES AND REPEATABLE AND
SCALABLE PROCESSES THAT ALLOW
ANY ORGANIZATION, SMALL OR
LARGE, TO BUILD A CUSTOMER
FOCUSED, LONG TERM THINKING
INNOVATIVE COMPANY THAT TAKES
PRIDE IN THEIR OPERATIONAL
EXCELLENCE.
WHEN JEFF GOES TO THE PRESS HE
IS WILLING TO BE THE COMPANY’S
SPOKESPERSON ESPECIALLY IN TOUGH
TIMES.
WITH FIRE PHONE, IT WAS NOT THE
SUCCESS AMAZON HOPED.
JEFF WAS FRONT AND CENTER
ANSWERING QUESTIONS, FIELDING
QUESTIONS, SAYING HEY, I HOPE
WE’RE WORKING ON BIGGER FAILURES
IN THE FUTURE.
THERE WAS A AN INCIDENT BACK IN
THE, ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO WHEN
KINDLE E BOOKS, TWO GEORGE
ORWELL BOOKS, 1984 AND ANIMAL
FARM, I BELIEVE, ILLEGALLY SOLD
ON THE KINDLE AND AMAZON HANDLED
THAT INCORRECTLY, INSTEAD OF
DOING WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THE
CUSTOMER.
HE SET FRONT PAGE ON THE AMAZON
HOMEPAGE.
WE’RE SORRY.
WE MADE A MISTAKE.
WE’RE GOING TO FESS UP TO OUR
ERROR.
IT DID NOT ACHIEVE OUR HIGH
STANDARDS.
WE’LL MAKE IT RIGHT FOR THE
CUSTOMER TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO WHEN NECESSARY JEFF HAS NO
PROBLEM GOING IN FRONT OF THE
CUSTOMER AND THE PRESS AND
TALKING ABOUT THE COMPANY BUT
MOST OF HIS EFFORT IS FOCUSED
INTERNALLY.
STUART: LAST ONE, 20 SECONDS,
PLEASE, DOES HE REVEL IN HIS
ENORMOUS WEALTH?
>> NO.
HE REVELS IN INVENTION AND
FOCUSING ON THINGS THAT ARE
GOING TO DELIGHT THE CUSTOMER.
THAT IS WHERE I’VE SEEN THE JOY
AND LAUGH COME THROUGH WITH
JEFF.
I EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE, BUT
DISCUSS IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT
FORMAT MOVING FORWARD.
STUART: COLIN BRYAR, GREAT TO
HAVE YOU ON THE SHOW AT THIS
PARTICULAR TIME.
LOOK AT YOUR BOOK, "WORKING
BACKWARDS."
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.