Saturday, December 26, 2009

Jeff Bezos Interview

I would strongly recommend the interview with Jeff Bezos in the current issue of Newsweek (December 20, 2009-January 4, 2010).

Given how much Amazon influences the way the public sees the book and media business, many of the comments he makes have impact on the library business as well. My favorite quote is in response to the question, "How do you define what Amazon is today?" Bezos replies, "We start with the customer and we work backward."

1 comment:

David said...

I loved the quote about how Amazon doesn't do many 'me to' projects. How many libraries do you know who put in coffee bars when coffee isn't their business?

Yet while I love Amazon and Bezos, I have to be consistent and say that just like Apple with iTunes, the Kindle model was built around a closed content model which I despise. For example, content and the device are tied together. If you want to read NY Times, you've gotta buy a Kindle even if you like the Sony reader better.

If you ask Jeff “What role does libraries play with the Kindle?” it would be interesting to hear his answer since most closed content folks really don't want others selling content for their device.