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Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

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Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#91

Post by WalterBright »

Y7ZCQtNo39 wrote: post #63
thinkling wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People said this 20 years ago about Microsoft. They were king of the PC, imposing a Windows (and Office-) tax on every other business. They were trying to extend that dominance to the internet: Internet Explorer, CitySearch, Expedia, MSN portal, MSN Shows, MSN Messenger, you name it. They were building interactive TV, software for cars, and a mobile phone platform. For a while they were building a bill presentation a…

So you're saying Amazon is no different -- they'll try and take on nearly every industry, but will really only have one core competence in 20 years?

In the 80's, people said IBM was unstoppable, this time it's different and IBM would take over the world. In the 90's IBM faded, and people said Microsoft was unstoppable, this time it's different, and Microsoft would take over the world. In the 00's, people say Amazon is unstoppable, this time it's different, etc.

And so it goes :-)

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#92

Post by muzani »

refurb wrote: post #38
rtpg wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand the dangers of monopoly, but I wish there was a stronger argument here. We've seen this sort of thing happen before, with Walmart. And none of these arguments worked! Walmart is big and dominant. It killed off smaller places, but people don't care because it has mostly everything and is cheap. "This convenient good thing is actually bad!" isn't super convincing I guess.... EDIT: the ultimate irony being…

the _best case scenario_ for this economic model leads to a terrible status quo Terrible status quo? You realize that competitive pressure is what drives progress right?

Most of the giants today actually thrived without the competitors and were stunted only because of it. Who were the legit competitors to Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tesla? They grew into monsters without that competition, which is why they try to keep each other in check. Google made a social media platform and Microsoft made search engines.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#93

Post by adventured »

Steko wrote: post #42

The answer is Xi Jinping although the article doesn't mention China at all.

Craigslist (classifieds). Google (search). eBay (auctions). Apple etc (phones). PayPal etc (payment systems). Spotify/Apple etc (music). All businesses Amazon attempted and mostly failed at.

Bezos - Amazon - has been beaten quite a few times.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#94

Post by lostlogin »

muzani wrote: post #92
refurb wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the _best case scenario_ for this economic model leads to a terrible status quo Terrible status quo? You realize that competitive pressure is what drives progress right?

Most of the giants today actually thrived without the competitors and were stunted only because of it. Who were the legit competitors to Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tesla? They grew into monsters without that competition, which is why they try to keep each other in check. Google made a social media platform and Microsoft made search engines.

And that competition made the opposition better, the argument goes. Except it didn’t.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#95

Post by Feniks »

Amazon came a few years too late and couldn't offer anything that sets them apart from the competition (next day delivery is pretty standard fare for any web retailer here) so yeah they were beaten. Or rather they saw the battlefield and didn't engage.

THAT is what made Amazon big in the US: they were first. Nothing magical about it really. But I think my country was one of the few that already had established players. Oh there's China ofcourse, they are forerunners with ecommerce. The future belongs to Alibaba.

Same with the supermarket delivery stuff, that's already been around for years. Don't understand the fuss.

I have the feeling a lot of retail in the US missed to catch on to the internet. Bezos became a god partially through incompetent competition.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#96

Post by ehnto »

refurb wrote: post #38
rtpg wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand the dangers of monopoly, but I wish there was a stronger argument here. We've seen this sort of thing happen before, with Walmart. And none of these arguments worked! Walmart is big and dominant. It killed off smaller places, but people don't care because it has mostly everything and is cheap. "This convenient good thing is actually bad!" isn't super convincing I guess.... EDIT: the ultimate irony being…

the _best case scenario_ for this economic model leads to a terrible status quo Terrible status quo? You realize that competitive pressure is what drives progress right?

Do you mind defining progress?

Is the eradication of small business in favour of cheap mass delivery progress?

It probably looks like progress on Amazon's balance sheet. But I doubt everyone in the supply chain is as happy as them.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#97

Post by s_kilk »

kbos87 wrote: post #10

I don’t think that the world can quite fathom how dangerous Amazon actually is to virtually every industry. When it comes to purveyors of physical goods, Amazon has the power to reshape the fabric of our streets and neighborhoods in ways few people can fathom. Say goodbye to grocery stores and ground floor retail if they get their way. They are just smart enough to do it slowly enough where they don’t have any jarrin…

At least it'll be cool when the revolution comes, because we'll only need to nationalise one company.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#98

Post by tigershark »

ams6110 wrote: post #17
kbos87 wrote: post #10

I don’t think that the world can quite fathom how dangerous Amazon actually is to virtually every industry. When it comes to purveyors of physical goods, Amazon has the power to reshape the fabric of our streets and neighborhoods in ways few people can fathom. Say goodbye to grocery stores and ground floor retail if they get their way. They are just smart enough to do it slowly enough where they don’t have any jarrin…

For me, Amazon is a long way off from threatening my local supermarket and other local retailers. Would I buy clothes from Amazon? No, I like to try them on first. Returning stuff by mail is a pain. Would I buy expensive home furnishings from Amazon? No, I like to see, touch, try these things before I spend a lot of money. Would I buy perishable groceries from Amazon? No, because deliveries happen when I'm at work an…

Amazon delivers food in slots of 1 hour whenever you want.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#99

Post by Wildgoose »

earlybike wrote: post #73
kbos87 wrote: post #10

I don’t think that the world can quite fathom how dangerous Amazon actually is to virtually every industry. When it comes to purveyors of physical goods, Amazon has the power to reshape the fabric of our streets and neighborhoods in ways few people can fathom. Say goodbye to grocery stores and ground floor retail if they get their way. They are just smart enough to do it slowly enough where they don’t have any jarrin…

OT: Is ‘fathom’ a common word in written and spoken American English (parent used it two times)?

It is in "English" (UK) English - the author of the parent comment may not necessarily be American.

Re: Can Anyone Beat Jeff Bezos?

#100

Post by danenania »

rtpg wrote: post #54
refurb wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the _best case scenario_ for this economic model leads to a terrible status quo Terrible status quo? You realize that competitive pressure is what drives progress right?

Sure, I like that I can start a company if I think I can do better than some other company. There are capital issues and incumbency issues, but in a lot of smaller industries you can "make the world a better place". But on an ethical level we have to acknowledge that "letting the markets do their thing" doesn't automatically reach the best result. Me having all the money and you having none is a Pareto optimum, after…

The tricky part is who defines what is 'better' or 'best'? You? Me? A 50.1% majority? The word 'progress' is infected by the same arbitrary nature.

The free market is an equilibrium that represents an average of all of our subjective needs, wants, and judgments. No individual will ever see all of its outcomes as ideal, but any attempt to 'correct' it will necessarily favor one person's values at the expense of someone else's.

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