Before Amazon Was Amazon

The early days of Amazon, before it became the e-commerce giant it. Watch the full video — free, no account needed.

What this video covers

The early days of Amazon, before it became the e-commerce giant it is today. It delves into the foundational narrative and strategic pivots that shaped its trajectory.

Transcript

This is the original sign that I made for amazon.com. Blue spray paint on white poster board. Jeff wasn't a figure of folklore at that point. He was not the the wealthiest man in [music] the world. >> my computer, amazon.com, up on the screen. >> [music] >> Hello Jeff Bezos. He was a small, nondescript, sandy-haired man sitting at a desk with quite a large and eruptive laugh. >> [laughter] >> But he wasn't threatening. He was a normal guy to a sort of amazing extent. HAL 9000 hat. Very important. HAL and I share a birthday. We're both born on January 12th. It belied, you know, an enormous Napoleonic ambition. >> One of the people I really like, Thomas Edison. Here's a model of his original light bulb. He's famous for saying 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. >> [laughter] >> It turns out ideas are the easy part. Execution is everything.

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•By Alejandro Cremades