Jeff Bezos is one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth greater than US$90 billioncultivated a deep passion for reading throughout his life. From his beginnings as an online bookseller to his role as founder and CEO of Amazon, these were instrumental in his personal and professional development.
Brad Stone, author of the Bezos biography “The Everything Store,” said there is even a series of books that Amazon employees refer to as “Jeff’s reading list,” as he notes. CNBC. From it emerge these 12 works that They shaped the way of thinking of Bezos on success and innovation.
Jeff Bezos used many of his learnings in the development of Amazon (Photo: File)Archive/ Reuters
- “The Remains of the Day”, by Kazuo Ishiguro. This acclaimed novel tells the story of a butler who reflects on his life and the decisions he made. The work delves into topics such as duty, the pursuit of greatness and sacrifices that entails.
- “Built to Last” by Jim Collins. This book, considered a classic in the field of business management, investigates what makes some companies extraordinarily successful over time. The author explains that the work environment must allow employees to adopt the central mission of the company, something that was essential in the culture from Amazon.
- “Creation: Life and How to Create It” by Steve Grand. In this work, the author, a video game designer, argues that it is possible to develop intelligent systems from simple building blocks. This approach was inspiring to Bezos, especially in the development of Amazon Web Services (AWS)a service that revolutionized cloud computing.
- “From Good to Great” by Jim Collins. The author examines how some companies manage to make a qualitative leap in their performance, while others remain stagnant. The book emphasizes the importance of facing harsh business reality and discover what you are exceptional at.
- ”The Innovator’s Dilemma”, by Clayton Christensen. This book focuses on how companies can fail by ignoring disruptive innovations that, in the long term, are essential to their survival. Bezos integrated these principles into Amazon’s strategy, fostering an environment where Innovation is essential and constant.
- “Sam Walton: Made in America” by Sam Walton. The Walmart founder’s autobiography offers a deep insight into business philosophy and frugality. Walton shares your core values, such as action and the willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes.
- “Lean Thinking”, de James Womack y Daniel Jones. This book explores how companies can improve your efficiency and reduce costs. In a context of economic crisis, these principles became crucial for the survival and growth of organizations.
- “Memoranda from the President” by Alan Greenberg. This book emphasizes values such as modesty and frugality in a collection of notes written by the president of Bear Stearns.
- The Mythical Month of Man”, by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. Brooks presents a controversial argument about software project management, suggesting that small groups of engineers They are more effective than the big oneson which part of Amazon’s success was based.
- “The goal: a process of improvement continues”, by Eliyahu Goldratt. Written in novel form, this book offers a analysis on manufacturing and continuous improvement. He served in the optimization of Amazon operations.
- “Data-Driven Marketing” by Mark Jeffery. This text provides guidance on how to use data to measure the success of the strategies of marketing.
- “The Black Swan” by Nassim Taleb. The author explores how people tend to look for patterns in chaotic events, often ignoring the possibility of unpredictable events.
THE NATION
