'Why Amazon Doesn't Really Care About Its Competitors'

Shelf Awareness

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos spoke with Hanson Hosein, a journalist and University of Washington educator who recently conducted a series of interviews for Four Peaks TV in conjunction with the opening of the Bezos Center for Innovation at Seattle's Museum of History & Industry.

In an article headlined "'Why Amazon Doesn't Really Care About Its Competitors," GeekWire noted that Bezos "talks a lot about Amazon focusing on customers, to the point that it has become a cliché," but in response to one of Hosein's softball questions about how Amazon stays nimble as a tech giant, he "explains why that approach beats focusing on competitors, which is a common trap for many tech companies."

"If you have a customer-centric culture, that cures a lot of ills," said Bezos. "Let's say you're the leader in a particular arena, if you're competitor-focused and you're already the leader, then where does your energy come from? Whereas, if you're customer focused, and you're already the leader, customers are never satisfied.

"If you're customer-focused, you're always waking up wondering, how can we make that customer say, wow? We want to impress our customers--we want them to say, wow. That kind of divine discontent comes from observing customers and noticing that things can always be better."