TheStreet by Jena Warburton Apr 28, 2024
The founder and former leader had fears about the tech giant, which have recently resurfaced.Jeff Bezos may no longer be the CEO of Amazon (AMZN) , but his legacy surely lives on.
Many of his opinions — whether they are business-related or commentary about life and space travel — are listened to closely by both his enthusiasts and detractors.
And Bezos isn't exactly lounging around despite no longer being at the helm of Amazon.
Bezos famously founded Amazon with his then-wife MacKenzie Scott in the garage of a house he'd rented in suburban Seattle.
Jeff Bezos foresees Amazon's downfallWhile Bezos largely doesn't comment publicly on Amazon's business and operations since his departure in 2021, his last letter to shareholders as he was leaving has been re-circulating online in April.
The memo discusses the dangers of staying stagnant in an increasingly competitive world — and the need to innovate just to stay alive.
“Staving off death is a thing that you have to work at," Bezos said, quoting biologist Richard Dawkins in his book The Blind Watchmaker.
"How much work does it take to maintain your distinctiveness?" Bezos questioned, then offered a cautionary tale about companies who have made the mistake of getting too "normal" for their own good.
"The world will always try to make Amazon more typical – to bring us into equilibrium with our environment. It will take continuous effort, but we can and must be better than that," he wrote, adding, "To all of you: be kind, be original, create more than you consume, and never, never, never let the universe smooth you into your surroundings. It remains Day 1."
In 2018, Bezos shared a similar sentiment, discussing the “inevitable” death of Amazon, saying during an all-hands that “Amazon will go bankrupt” someday.
More:
https://www.thestreet.com/retail/jeff-bezos-predicts-amazons-inevitable-death
