Here’s a PDF of Jeff Bezos’ 1997 letter to shareholders.
Remarkable how prescient Bezos was, just three years after starting Amazon and four years before the company would have its first profitable quarter.
Two parts of the letter that jump out to me…
Because of our emphasis on the long term, we may make decisions and weigh tradeoffs differently than some companies.
That relentless long-term focus certainly worked out well for Amazon.
What are some short-term pains or sacrifices you can endure to help you win the long game?
It’s not easy to work here (when I interview people I tell them, “You can work long, hard, or smart, but at Amazon.com you can’t choose two out of three”)
This flies in the face of the advice to “work smarter, not harder.”
Someone working 💪 + 🤓 will always achieve more than someone who only works smart.
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