logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
11m 54s

Jeff Bezos and the Infinite Bookstore

The Retrospectors
About this episode

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, Relentless, Awake, Browse and Bookmall.


In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why Washington was chosen as the launch location for the company; reveal how Bezos was able to resell individual books from wholesalers without breaching any Ts & Cs; and compare notes on their first-ever Amazon purchases… 


Further Reading:

• ‘Amazon Was Founded 25 Years Ago This Friday. Here’s What the World Was Like When Jeff Bezos Incorporated the Company in 1994’ (Inc, 2019): https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/amazon-cadabra-jeff-bezos-25-year-anniversary-1994.html

• ‘Olly Mann on “My Mate Bought a Toaster”’ (Tom Price, 2020): https://podfollow.com/1462168683/episode/50c5e6d3a7471bb569f375a2d8d65d0bdd39e6e4/view

• ‘60 Minutes: Amazon’ (CBS, 1999): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv8MrBBuRqI


Love the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!

Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.

Join now via Apple Podcasts or PatreonThanks!

 

We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors

 

The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
Adventures of the Boy Horsemen
The ‘Abernathy Boys’, Temple and Louis, were aged just 5 and 8 respectively when they departed Guthrie, Oklahoma for a 1,300-mile horseback trip to Roswell, New Mexico on July 10th, 1909. Alone. Sons of widower John Abernathy, himself the youngest-ever U.S. Marshal, the boys enco ... Show More
12m 25s
Yesterday
Bill Haley's Teenage Anthem
Rock Around The Clock was a moderately successful B-side - until its inclusion in the teen rebellion movie Blackboard Jungle - following which, on 9th July, 1955, Bill Haley and the Comets’ earworm became the first rock n’roll song to hit US No.1. But Haley was no teenage rebel. ... Show More
13m 25s
Jul 8
The Miracle in the Ashes
‘Our Lady of Kazan’, a painting of the Virgin and Child, was discovered in the ashes of a fire in the Russian town of Kazan on 8th July, 1579. The icon quickly became associated with miracles after two blind men were said to have their sight restored by standing in front of it. T ... Show More
11m 35s
Recommended Episodes
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 16m
Jun 2024
TIP637: Jeff Bezos's Shareholder Letters w/ Clay Finck
On today’s episode, Clay reviews Jeff Bezos’ shareholder letters and shares his biggest takeaways.Jeff Bezos is an exceptional capital allocator who has delivered unprecedented returns to shareholders. Since Amazon’s IPO, the stock is up 152,400%. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:00: ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2021
Walter Isaacson on Jeff Bezos and what comes next for Amazon
Jeff Bezos this week announced plans to retire as CEO of Amazon, which he founded and helped turn into one of the world's most successful and significant companies. Dan digs into what’s next for Bezos and for Amazon — and Bezos’ place in the innovators pantheon — with Steve Jobs' ... Show More
15m 9s
Dec 2021
Part Two: Jeff Bezos and the Birth of Amazon
Robert is joined again by Jake Hanrahan to continue to discuss Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos.For more about Jeff Bezos and Amazon, check out Megacorp. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
46m 17s
May 2021
Jeff Bezos (Insights, Stories, and Secrets)
What I learned from Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon by  Colin Bryar and Bill Carr.----Come see a live show with me and Patrick O'Shaughnessy from Invest Like The Best on October 19th in New York City. Get your tickets here! ----Subscribe to li ... Show More
1h 3m
May 2021
#179 Jeff Bezos
What I learned from The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone.This is part one of a three part series on Jeff Bezos. The next two books are Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon and Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Inven ... Show More
1h 21m
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
Dec 2023
#405 – Jeff Bezos: Amazon and Blue Origin
Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin. Thank you for listening ❤ Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Notion: https://notion.com/lex – Policygenius: https://policygenius.com/lex – MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lexpod to get 15% off – Ei ... Show More
2h 20m