Tech Brew Ride Home BETTER SOUND! (IHP) Amazon's First Employee Shel Kaphan
May 22, 2023
Shel Kaphan, Amazon's first employee, shares insights from the groundbreaking days of the company. He discusses the challenges of building Amazon’s early website and the pivotal features like customer reviews that shaped online shopping. Kaphan reflects on the company's quirky beginnings in a garage, the journey from 'Kadabra' to 'Amazon', and the innovative security measures that made digital transactions possible. With humor and nostalgia, he highlights how the team navigated early tech hurdles and their vision for transforming e-commerce.
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Whole Earth Truck Store
- Shel Kaphan's first exposure to mail order books was at the Whole Earth Truck Store.
- He did various tasks there, from bookkeeping to packing books.
Relocating to Seattle
- Jeff Bezos initially considered Santa Cruz as a location for Amazon.
- Shel Kaphan was hesitant to move from Santa Cruz, especially if the location was Nevada.
Early Days at Amazon
- When Shel Kaphan arrived, Amazon's business plan wasn't formalized.
- He began by setting up basic infrastructure like computers and a development environment.