But of course, the case describes all the other 20 different things that they have done in the last 20 years and asked the question, what is Amazon up to?īRIAN KENNY: Amazon and Jeff Bezos are sort of synonymous. Why buy a low margin business that Amazon actually had been trying Amazon Fresh for 10 years and hasn’t succeeded? Why don’t they give up? That was a starting point. You sort of say, Amazon is a technology company, its stock is going to stratosphere. The second thing is food is a very low margin category.
#Does amazon videobuffet Offline#
So why is it getting into offline business? That was against his grain as an online player. SUNIL GUPTA: At that point in time, Amazon had just bought Whole Foods, which was very counterintuitive because Amazon has been an online player. Maybe you can just start us off by setting it up.
SUNIL GUPTA: That was the reason why I thought A, everybody knows about it, and B, it’s hugely successful and C, his business model seems to defy logic.īRIAN KENNY: The case we know by the title takes place in 2017. SUNIL GUPTA: You sort of start wondering as to, what is the magic behind this? What is the secret sauce that makes Amazon such a huge success? The market gap almost touched a trillion dollars a few months ago. Obviously Jeff Bezos missed that class.īRIAN KENNY: He didn’t come to HBS by the way. That raises the question, is Amazon spreading itself too thin? Are they an online retailer? Are they video producers? Are they now making movies? In strategy, we learn, everybody should focus. I mean, they have gone into businesses that defy imagination. At the same time, Amazon has become quite complex. SUNIL GUPTA: As you said, everybody knows Amazon. Let me start by asking you, just to set it up for us. I had forgotten about their modest beginnings and just how much they’ve grown and expanded and changed. I’m going to assume anybody listening to this podcast has purchased something on Amazon or watched something on Amazon Prime. The case I think is really kind of a great foundational piece to launch into some of the ideas. I’ve had an opportunity to read the book. We appreciate you coming back.īRIAN KENNY: Good, as long as it’s not too painful for you. Thank you for joining me today.īRIAN KENNY: This is your second spin I think on Cold Call. This case is the perfect stepping off point to cover some of the ideas in that book, Sunil.
He is the author of the recently published, Driving Digital Strategy, a guide to re-imagining your business. Sunil Gupta is an expert in the area of digital technology and its impact on consumer behavior and firm strategy. You’re listening to Cold Call, part of the HBR Presents network. Will we ever see the likes of it again? Today, we’ll hear from professor Sunil Gupta, about his case entitled, “Amazon in 2017.” I’m your host Brian Kenny. In the time it takes me to read this introduction, the company will earn over 300,000 dollars. With a market cap larger than all other retailers combined, including Walmart, Amazon owns 49% of all online sales. But Amazon took off like a rocket ship and hasn’t slowed down since. Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies, the book he purchased, never became a best seller. With the click of a mouse, he became the very first customer to make a purchase on. So, he fired up his T1 modem and navigated the fledgling internet to the beta version of a new online bookstore. On April 3, 1995, Jon was in need of some work-related reading material. What makes Jon a legend has nothing to do with programming. A pioneer of computer languages, he was the principle architect of both Script 5 and Manuscript. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Harvard Business Review or its affiliates.īRIAN KENNY: In the world of computer science, Jon Wainwright is kind of a big deal. HBR Presents is a network of podcasts curated by HBR editors, bringing you the best business ideas from the leading minds in management. Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta explores the infiltration of Amazon into dozens of industries including web services, grocery, online video streaming, content creation and, oh, did we mention physical bookstores? What’s the big plan? Is the company spread too thin, or poised for astronomical success? Learn more about this discussion in his case, “ Amazon 2019.” Listen and subscribe to this podcast via Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS
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