logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2017
40m 17s

How Big is Amazon?

iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope
About this episode
We all know Amazon.com started as a bookseller, that’s now a grocery store and personal assistant and online streaming service. But how did this Seattle start-up outlast the hundreds of other online stores that started at the same time? Will and Mango tak 
Up next
Aug 7
What's the Science of Invisibility?
Sure, invisibility is about magic cloaks and invisible inks. But it’s so much more than that! From the way butterflies see a secret world of light that humans can’t, to the real reason polar bears are completely undetectable to infrared cameras, there’s a whole big world you ough ... Show More
42m 30s
Aug 4
Can Spicy Foods Make You Live Longer?
Does a fondness for spicy foods mean you've got an aggressive personality? Did putting spices on food help cavemen avoid illnesses? Is it true that super-spicy diets are linked to longevity? And what's the most effective way to soothe the heat if you bite off more than you can ch ... Show More
32m 26s
Jul 31
Why Do Rich People Love Lobster, Squash, and Monograms?
Once upon a time, lobster was considered trash meat, monograms were seen as tacky, squash was played in rundown back alleys, and the only people doing Pilates were prisoners. So how did these things turn into expensive status symbols, beloved by the world's elites? Plus: How busi ... Show More
37m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2019
The Rise of Amazon
Examine how the biggest tech companies rose to power, and what they're doing with that power. In season one, The Rise of Amazon, Recode's senior commerce correspondent Jason Del Rey traces how Jeff Bezos transformed Amazon from an online bookseller to one of the largest companies ... Show More
2m 42s
Aug 2019
Is Amazon Too Big? We Ask Its Sellers
Small businesses and major brands alike rely on Amazon but are increasingly ambivalent about selling on the platform. The Amazon Marketplace is a battle royale of millions of sellers and declining profit margins. Meanwhile, Amazon is building its own branded line of competing pro ... Show More
45m 5s
Apr 2024
Alexa, is Amazon a monopoly?
If you’ve never used Amazon, you almost definitely know someone who has. Amazon is pretty much everywhere. In the three decades since its founding, Amazon has grown from a small startup to a trillion-dollar company, skirting rules, taxes, and accountability along the way. Then, i ... Show More
35m 18s
Jul 2019
Why You’ll Never Quit Amazon Prime
With over 100 million members, Prime is the engine that’s made Amazon a retailing juggernaut and one of the largest companies in the world. Jason Del Rey explores how Prime came to be, why it’s so effective at keeping us locked into the Amazon ecosystem, and how it became the sou ... Show More
33m 46s
Jul 2023
Inside Amazon’s Growth Strategy
Since its founding in 1994, Amazon has expanded into streaming, cloud computing, content creation, and even groceries. But if traditional business strategy tells us that the key to success is focus, why does Amazon work? 
22m 46s
Jul 2023
Jeff Bezos and the Infinite Bookstore
Rerun. Amazon, created in the Seattle garage of Jeff Bezos, was incorporated on 5th July, 1994.  Before Bezos had settled on the site’s name as a way of conveying the size and scope of the e-commerce platform he intended to build, his working titles had included Cadabra, Relentle ... Show More
11m 54s
Aug 2022
Amazon.com
Amazon. No company has impacted the internet — and all of modern life — more than this one. We’ve waited seven years to do this episode, and are so, so excited to finally dive into every nook and cranny of this legendary company. And of course because we’re Acquired and this is A ... Show More
4h 10m
Sep 2022
Amazon Web Services
So, how DID an online book retailer end up building the infrastructure layer that powers the entire internet? (Or at least 39% of it, per latest market share data.) While many myths, legends, and some downright falsehoods exist, the real answer to that question deserves a full Ac ... Show More
2h 37m
Nov 2019
Amazon's Middlewomen
Why do so many Amazon packages take a pitstop in the small town of Roundup, Montana? Find out in this episode of Reset, the new tech podcast from Recode and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Jason Del Rey and Reset host Arielle Duhaime-Ross discuss how Amazon's Marketplace has creat ... Show More
22m 43s