Amazon's Customer-Focused Approach

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Amazon's success can be attributed to their focus on customer use cases and building what people want, rather than simply creating what they think would be clever as technologists. This mindset is evident in their keynotes which highlight the customer use case attached to every product. While Microsoft and Google were focused on developing what they thought would be amazing business models, Amazon looked to startups to see what they wanted to build on, and IT managers to see what they wanted to lift and shift to. Amazon's emphasis on customer use cases is impressive and is the very first question they ask before investing any engineering resources. Bezos's quote on asymmetric upside in 2015 further exemplifies their willingness to bet on big winners and swing for the fences.

So, how DID an online book retailer end up building the infrastructure layer that powers the entire internet? (Or at least 39% of it, per latest market share data.) While many myths, legends, and some downright falsehoods exist, the real answer to that question deserves a full Acquired episode of its very own. So here it is: the story of Amazon Web Services. Who’s got the truth? Tune in and find out. :)

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