It is almost always harder to be kind than clever.

There are retailers who work to figure out how to charge customers more and those who work to try to charge customers less.

Bezos learned a lot from Walmart execs about the finer points of retailing and distribution and about every day low prices and customer loyalty from Costco.

Leadership - have backbone disagree and commit be vocally self-critical think big bias for action.

Amazon achieved this with its distribution system, marketplace and later through AWS

It is the goal of nearly every tech company to become a platform others can/need to use.

6 core values - customer obsession, frugality, innovation, bias for action, ownership, high bar for talent.

Had a pretty clear vision from the beginning of being the starting point for people's shopping experience as they trusted Amazon would have pretty much anything you could want.

Always take and implement the best ideas from those who came before you, even if not in your direct field.

Bezos is frugal about his operations but can be very aggressive and bold with acquisitions or new lines of business when he feels it is appropriate.

Bezos recognized early on the importance of having transparent customer reviews in order to gain trust and provide a better shopping experience.

If you're facing a difficult decision, this exercise is very helpful to gain perspective

Regret minimization framework - put yourself on your deathbed and imagine what you'd regret.

The idea of an everything store which would serve as an intermediary between producers and consumers was hatched during his time at DE Shaw, a technologically advanced hedge fund.

He is extremely difficult to work for, intense and micromanaged but casts a reality distortion field and paints a vision people who work at Amazon are passionate and committed to

Bezos is a visionary who has redefined customer service and runs his company like a chess grandmaster.

Jeff bezos and the age of amazon