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The cover of The Everything Store

The Everything Store

Brad Stone, 2013

Brad Stone traces how Jeff Bezos grew Amazon from an online bookstore into a store for almost everything, and the relentless, often ruthless culture he built to do it.

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12 parts, about 31 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Traces how an online bookseller became a store for nearly everything by betting on low prices and long term growth
  • Shows the machinery behind Amazon: the flywheel, small teams, written memos and an obsession with customers
  • Draws on many insider interviews, recording both the company's inventiveness and its ruthlessness toward rivals and publishers

Who it is for

  • Founders torn between rapid growth and early profit
  • Managers curious how Amazon runs its meetings and teams
  • Publishers and merchants who must deal with Amazon

What the summary covers

  1. Prologue1 min
  2. The House of Quants2 min
  3. The Book of Bezos3 min
  4. Fever Dreams3 min
  5. Milliravi4 min
  6. Rocket Boy2 min
  7. Chaos Theory3 min
  8. A Technology Company, Not a Retailer2 min
  9. Fiona3 min
  10. Liftoff!3 min
  11. Expedient Convictions3 min
  12. The Kingdom of the Question Mark2 min

Recommended by

  • Walter IsaacsonAuthor of Steve Jobs
    Brad Stone captures his passion and brilliance in this well-reported and compelling narrative.
  • Steven LevyAuthor of Hackers and In the Plex
    The Everything Store is a revelatory read for everyone

About the author

  • Brad StoneAmerican journalist and author, editor of Bloomberg Businessweek
    • Brad Stone was named editor of Bloomberg Businessweek in January 2024.
    • Before that he led Bloomberg News' global technology team of 80 reporters and editors, after nearly 30 years of reporting.
    • Since 2010 he has written over two dozen Businessweek cover stories on companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook.
    • He covered Silicon Valley as a San Francisco journalist for Newsweek and later for The New York Times.
    • He was raised in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, and is an alumnus of Columbia University.
    • His first book, Gearheads, published by Simon & Schuster in 2003, was about the combat robot culture.
    • His reporting for The Everything Store led to the discovery of Jeff Bezos's biological father, who had not known his son founded Amazon.

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