Jeff Bezos may no longer be the CEO of Amazon (AMZN) , but his legacy surely lives on.
Many of his opinions — whether they are business-related or commentary about life and space travel — are listened to closely by both his enthusiasts and detractors.
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And Bezos isn’t exactly lounging around despite no longer being at the helm of Amazon.
Bezos famously founded Amazon with his then-wife MacKenzie Scott in the garage of a house he’d rented in suburban Seattle.
Now 60, he still boasts an impressive resume, including the following:
Founder and executive chairman of AmazonFounder of Blue OriginOwner of The Washington PostFounder of Bezos ExpeditionsExecutive Chair of Bezos Earth FundFounder of Bezos AcademyCo-founder of Altos Labs
The second richest person in the world (depending on the day), Jeff Bezos is worth close to $195 billion and, in theory, doesn’t have a whole lot to worry about.
But money, as they say, can’t buy you happiness or a safety net. And while the billionaire has been busily working on his recent purchase of a nearly $80 million home on the so-called “billionaire bunker” on a man-made barrier island off Miami, Fla., Bezos still has time to travel the world and comment on business.
Jeff Bezos foresees Amazon’s downfall
While Bezos largely doesn’t comment publicly on Amazon’s business and operations since his departure in 2021, his last letter to shareholders as he was leaving has been re-circulating online in April.
The memo discusses the dangers of staying stagnant in an increasingly competitive world — and the need to innovate just to stay alive.
Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos addresses the audience at the Amazon Re:MARS conference.
“Staving off death is a thing that you have to work at,” Bezos said, quoting biologist Richard Dawkins in his book The Blind Watchmaker.
“How much work does it take to maintain your distinctiveness?” Bezos questioned, then offered a cautionary tale about companies who have made the mistake of getting too “normal” for their own good.
“The world will always try to make Amazon more typical – to bring us into equilibrium with our environment. It will take continuous effort, but we can and must be better than that,” he wrote, adding, “To all of you: be kind, be original, create more than you consume, and never, never, never let the universe smooth you into your surroundings. It remains Day 1.”
In 2018, Bezos shared a similar sentiment, discussing the “inevitable” death of Amazon, saying during an all-hands that “Amazon will go bankrupt” someday.
“If you look at large companies, their lifespans tend to be 30-plus years, not 100-plus years,” he said, echoing the important reminder that some of the best disruptors of decades past are now old dinosaurs struggling against the ever-present market forces which demand constant innovation.
Bezos has never outright predicted the concrete date at which he believes Amazon will meet its demise, but he doesn’t seem particularly convinced it’s right around the corner. He’s vocally supported new CEO Andy Jassy and his efforts to bring Amazon even further into the future.
“Andy is brilliant and has the highest of high standards. I guarantee you that Andy won’t let the universe make us typical. He will muster the energy needed to keep alive in us what makes us special,” he said in the conclusion to his farewell letter.
