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Subscribe to RSSIn 1995, Jeff Bezos took his love of books and created Amazon.com. Seventeen years later he has transformed the way we read with the release of the Kindle ebooks. Jeff talks with TODAY's Matt Lauer about being named 2012 businessperson of the year by Fortune magazine and what the future holds for Amazon.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is America's top businessman, at least according to Fortune's Magazine.
Bezos beat out Apple's Tim Cook, Comcast's Brian Roberts and Steve Burke, eBay's John Donahoe and Larry Page it the magazine's annual Businessperson of the Year issue.
He's a guy who took his love of books and turned it into an online empire, taking on the seemingly impervious retail book world.
Now try to find a Barne's and Noble today.
His latest move is the line of Kindles, sure to be on many a wishlist this holiday season. Can this e-reader cum tablet device trojan horse really compete with Apple and the iPad?
If his gamble pays off, it may cement his legacy as the man they call "the ultimate disruptor." That name, by the way, which has also been applied to Apple founder Steve Jobs.
A big test will be how well the Kindle Fire HD does this Black Friday.
This morning TODAY's Matt Lauer talked to Bezos about his rise to the top of the business world, his predictions for the holiday shopping season, and who deserves to grace a very coveted slot on a TIME magazine cover.
"I'm very optimistic about this holiday selling season," said Bezos, who said Amazon is making 50,000 seasonal hires to keep up with the expected demand. "I think it will be our best shopping season ever. Knock on wood."
This year Walmart and Target are experimenting with same-day shipping. Order it by noon, and it's on your doorstep by that evening. Amazon can't do that.
"We've always been a hyper competitive industry," said Bezos. "That's good for customers, that's good for companies. Businesses force each other to evolve. We're ready."
Lauer asked, "Can you really compete in the area of coolness with Apple?"
Bezos replied, "I have a lot of admiration for Apple. We take a different approach. The Kindle Fire HD at $199 is a lot of technology into a small package. But we only break even. We hope to make money over time as people use the devices, buying mp3s, movies, and books."
"The Kindle Fire HD is our best-selling device ever," added Bezos.
Shifting gears, Lauer asked Bezos, "I'm really going to put you on the spot here. Who should be Time's 2012 Person of the Year be?" Bezos was honored with the title in 1999.
"I don't know, how about Matt Lauer?" said Bezos.
Pressed again by Lauer, Bezos said "It's an election year, Obama would be a good choice."
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I guess you don't need to be profitable to be successful.
Ok fanboy! I highly doubt Amazon is hurting for bucks, especially after spending this year alone about $5 Billion buying robotics shipping technologies and building 5 new distribution centers. As a developer I can easily tell you your beloved apple junk is just i-crap! Apple's junk is outdated and bulky. For all of you out there who want a tablet I recommend Android tablets from the B&N Nook, Amazon's line of Kindle Fire's, Google Nexus and Samsung's Galaxy line. All these are excellent tablets far superior then apple's junk and at less then the half the price.
Headline should be, "2012 Businessman of the Year Ruins State & Local Economies"
Amazon helps people evade paying sales taxes and is a major reason why small mom and pop retail stores across the USA are closing.
Folks like to cheat on taxes and then complain about bad schools and lack of infrastructure. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Cheat on taxes? Ha ha we are taxed to death already, literally... Oh and by the way your beloved apple i-crap hardly pays any taxes on it's measly foreign sales less then 2% actually. By the way Amazon and it's millions of vendors do pay hundreds of billions of taxes and create ten's of millions of jobs in AMERICA. But really why should the consumers get taxed even more? We already pay almost half our earned income in taxes before we cash our paycheck, then when we spend it taxed again. Here is how to bypass States taxes (from States that collect web sales tax) .............................................. Internet TAX It’s your Money-
Some sneaky greedy States have passed new Internet taxes right under our noses. States like Texas that can’t balance there budgets will now stick you with taxes when you buy online. Internet purchases were always tax free!
Live in Texas or any other tax greedy State that can’t balance there budget? Here is a perfect way to buy online without giving your hard earned mo
ney to money hungry States.
Have a family member that lives in a State like Oregon that doesn’t support Internet taxes buy the stuff for you or setup an account with there address on it and have Internet purchases shipped to your address in Texas.
It’s very easy in the case of Amazon when you’re buying with a Texas address on your credit card. Just send yourself an interest free, no fees and never expires Amazon Gift card. Then setup an address in a No-Internet tax State, like the address of a UPS store and then make purchases tax free and send to your address in Texas or were ever.
Remember not all States charge an Internet Tax, just the ones that misspent your money.
Bull**** David! Mom and Pop stores (which half the time don't even have a Mom & Pop there) only suffer because they don't provide the product the customer is looking for when they need it at a good price! Just telling the customer they can order it isn't good enough today when their warehouse doesn't stock it!
whatever it is, for me success comes to those who deserves them -
i discovered a new site where you can access quality ebooks surprisingly free! I was even very intrigued with the idea but then I knew their generous purposes! check bookboon.com out!