Jeff Bezos

Amazon founder

Contemporary influential 106 sayings

Sayings by Jeff Bezos

I want us to be a company that invents on behalf of customers.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable

The Internet is a highly disintermediating force. It takes out the middleman.

1990s — Early interview about Amazon's business model
Controversial Unverifiable

I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted by a decision to not try at all.

2010 — Princeton University Commencement Address
Controversial Unverifiable

If you never want to be criticized, for goodness' sake don't do anything new.

2012 — Interview with Forbes
Controversial Unverifiable

There are two kinds of companies: those that work to try to charge more and those that work to try to charge less. We will be the second.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable

We are comfortable with invention. We are comfortable with failure.

2013 — Interview with Charlie Rose
Controversial Unverifiable

The best customer service is if the customer doesn't need to call you, doesn't need to talk to you. It just works.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable

We’ve had a lot of failures at Amazon over the years, but we’ve never regretted trying any of them.

2016 — Letter to Shareholders
Controversial Unverifiable

You can have a good idea, but if you don't execute it well, it won't be successful.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable

I constantly remind our employees to be afraid, to wake up every morning terrified. Not of our competitors, but of our customers.

2010 — Interview with Harvard Business Review
Controversial Unverifiable

If you don't like to be criticized, you should do nothing.

2012 — Interview with Forbes
Controversial Unverifiable

I think the Internet is still in its infancy.

1990s — Interview (general sentiment, often stated in early days of Amazon)
Controversial Unverifiable

The most important single thing is to focus on the customer.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, often stated)
Controversial Unverifiable

We are still in the very early stages of what is possible.

2016 — Letter to Shareholders
Controversial Unverifiable

I'm a big believer in the idea that if you have a great idea, you should pursue it relentlessly.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable

The Internet is a gold rush, and we're in the pick and shovel business.

1990s — Early Amazon interview (paraphrased, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable

If you double the number of experiments you do per year, you're going to double your inventiveness.

2015 — Letter to Shareholders
Controversial Unverifiable

Failure is a necessary ingredient for invention.

2015 — Letter to Shareholders
Controversial Unverifiable

We innovate by listening to our customers, but also by inventing on their behalf.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable

I believe in the power of teams and the power of small teams.

Undated — Interview (general sentiment, exact quote hard to pinpoint)
Controversial Unverifiable