Monday, October 29, 2018

21 Lessons From Jeff Bezos’ Annual Letters To Shareholders

Jeff Bezos; In addition to Warren Buffet, his letters to share holders provide keen insights into his thinking.

 I have just given below the highlights, as per the report for each year. I have underlined those that i like a lot.


Since 1997, Amazon’s stock price has risen from $5 per share to around $1,800 per share*

  • 2017: Build high standards into company culture
  • 2016: Move fast and focus on outcomes
  • 2015: Don’t deliberate over easily reversible decisions
  • 2014: Bet on ideas that have unlimited upside
  • 2013: Decentralize decision-making to generate innovation
  • 2012: Surprise and delight your customers to build long-term trust
  • 2011: Self-service platforms unlock innovation
  • 2010: R&D should pervade every department
  • 2009: Focus on inputs — the outputs will take care of themselves
  • 2008: Work backwards from customer needs to know what to build next
  • 2007: Missionaries build better products
  • 2006: Nurture your seedlings to build big lines of business
  • 2005: Don’t get fixated on short-term numbers
  • 2004: Free cash flow enables more innovation
  • 2003: Long-term thinking is rooted in ownership
  • 2002: Build your business on your fixed costs
  • 2001: Measure your company by your free cash flow
  • 2000: In lean times, build a cash moat
  • 1999: Build on top of infrastructure that’s improving on its own
  • 1998: Stay terrified of your customers
  • 1997: Bring on shareholders who align with your values

  • The complete report from CBInsights makes for a very interesting reading and it does provide a holistic view of his thought process.

    * Image Courtesy the article quoted above.

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