All language subtitles for [Waploaded_9765]BezosTheBeginning20231080pWEB-DLDD51H264

Five, four...

Command engine start.

Two, one. Ignition.

Oh, yeah, look at her go!

Mission control has confirmed
New Shepard has cleared

the tower on her way
to space from Launch Site One

in the west Texas desert with
Mannequin Skywalker on board.

I was born into great wealth.

Not monetary wealth,

but the wealth
of a loving family.

A family that fostered
my curiosity

and encouraged me
to dream big.

My mom, Jackie, had me
when she was 17 years old.

My dad's name is Miguel.
He adopted me when I was four.

He was 16 when he came
to the United States

from Cuba, shortly after
the Castro Regime.

My dad didn't speak English

and he did not have
an easy path.

What he did have was grit
and determination.

Together,
with my grandparents,

these hard-working,

resourceful, and loving
people made me who I am.

I walked away from
a steady job on Wall Street

into a Seattle garage
to pursue my dream,

fully understanding
that it might not work.

It feels just like yesterday
I was driving packages

to the post office myself,

dreaming that one day
we might afford a forklift.

You earn trust slowly,
over time,

doing hard things well.

We offer fast shipping
and everyday low prices.

We make promises
to our customers

that we intend to keep.

We make principled decisions,

however unpopular,
and our approach is working.

Jeff, David just asked
about you, let's go.

-We're late.
-Shit!

Oh, my goodness,
how are you always late?

'Cause I'm always working.

Let's see how well that excuse
works on David.

-Is this a sleeping bag?
-No.

You do know that
that's a poor answer

to tell me that
that's a jump bag

instead of a sleeping bag

when you have a pillow
sticking out of it?

- You believe it.
- Come on, man.

Okay, here we go.

Mr. Bezos,
thanks for joining us.

You mean, I had a choice?

Back to what
we were talking about.

Look, we're not gonna
spend all day

talking about how great
our quarter was.

Our numbers are fine,

but that's not
what we're gonna do.

We wanna talk about
how we're gonna move

the business forward, right?

So, I wanted to spend
a little time going over

an idea that Anton
and his team brought us.

Let's put it up on the board.
Online brokerage.

The idea that we would
actually start transacting

completely online.

Where consumers
can go on and instantaneously

execute a trade.

Now, I think all of you
are kind of wondering

how it's gonna affect us
on the fee side,

and there's gonna be less fee,

but there's also gonna be
less cash going out.

That's a win-win for everybody,
isn't it?

As we move forward,
I wanna see good ideas,

the next big idea.

Does that make sense to you?

And remember one thing:

It's all about the data.

I don't know, I just...

feel like I'm in a rut.

Sometimes like I don't want
to get back into writing.

You should, 100%.

Yeah, but there's
no money in that.

Could be.

You're an amazing writer,
you know that.

You're my husband,
you have to say that.

I'm serious!

Some of the stuff
you've written

just makes me want to cry.

-Ugh.
-And I have several times.

Oh, stop.

You're amazingly talented.
You know that.

Thank you.

It's just easier said
than done sometimes.

With the job and all, I just
don't have as much time for it.

And it's not like
I don't love my job,

I'm so grateful
for the opportunity, but...

I never imagined myself
as a glorified secretary.

You're not a secretary.

You're a novelist trapped
in a boring job,

believe me, I know.

Yeah. VP of the company
understands.

Things are good right now,

but I always pictured I'd start
a business or something.

Never thought that I'd just end
up as another hedge fund guy.

Well, what's stopping you?

Just gotta be there.

No, seriously,

what's-- what's stopping you
from starting your own company?

A business idea.

There's the logistics,
the supply chain,

I-- I don't know
the first thing

about getting a business off
the ground.

Plus, I have a steady job,
why would I risk that?

No, no. Forget that!

You can get another job
if you wanted to.

I mean, with a mind like yours,

you'd get hired
anywhere in an instant.

Seriously.

If you wanna start
your own company,

you should go for it.

You're right.
You're right.

No more excuses.

And there is something.

I read an article
the other day.

Did you know that the internet
is growing at 2,300% a year?

Holy shit, that's a lot.

Yeah. That's an understatement.
Nothing grows at 2,300%.

Ever.

Yeah.

I mean, that's the
million-dollar idea, I guess.

It's-- It's numbers, really,

but if I could find a way
to capitalize on it...

I mean, imagine
if we started a business

and in its first year
did a million dollars in sales

and grew 2,300%.

That means its second year
would do $23 million,

and then if it grew
another 2,300%

it would do $529 million
in its third year.

-Wow.
-Yeah.

Could be the idea
David's been looking for.

Well, are you gonna
tell him about it?

Not yet. I don't even know
what we're gonna sell.

Whatever it is...

it could be big.

Move!
First time in New York?

-Jeff! Jeff!
-One quick minute.

Jeff, he's on a call!

A great opportunity.

I'd-- It'd be a real honor.

Absolutely.

I agree.

- What is this?
- Tomorrow's best idea.

Okay, Tom,
let me give you a call back,

something just came up, okay?

Hey, thanks so much.

That was a friend
at the White House.

President's asking me
to be on his council

for science and technology.

-Congratulations.
-Well, it's important, right?

But obviously
not as important as this.

Tell me something that grows
at a 2,300% annual growth rate.

Outside of petri dishes,
nothing.

Forget about it, keep reading.
Right there.

That's a month's work,
right there.

Jeff,
if you don't shut the fuck up

it's gonna take me
a month to read it.

Forget about it.
Let me bottom line it.

-Books.
-Books? That's your idea?

It's tomorrow's best idea.

The one
you've been looking for.

Jeff, I haven't been looking
for books. In fact,

I don't even know what
the fuck you're talking about.

-Have you gotten any sleep?
-Let me explain it to you.

See, millions of copies of
books are published every year

and-- and millions more
internationally,

but a physical store can only
carry several thousand books.

Well, that's true
of any retailer.

Right, take Barnes & Noble.

$1.6 billion a year in sales.

But any physical
Barnes & Noble store

only has thousands of copies.

Now, add several
of Barnes & Noble stores,

and you still
have thousands of copies.

But there's potentially
millions of copies

that could be sold,
but not in a physical store.

Now, imagine a virtual store

that was open 24 hours a day,
seven days a week,

and could carry an infinite
amount of books,

potentially every book
that ever existed.

Jeff, do me a favor.

Go wash up, shave,

and that sleeping bag
that you have?

Go take a little nap.

And I want you to meet me
in the park in an hour, okay?

-You clean up nice.
-Thanks, David.

You know, it's a great idea
with a good plan.

I'm so relieved you--
you liked it.

I mean, with 76--

Take a look at that guy
over there.

Now take a look at that guy.

Which one
do you think's happier?

-The one with the hotdog.
-Why do you say that?

He's living for the moment.

Does that mean that the other
guy's miserable? Right?

Maybe. Yeah.

Let's jump ahead 20 years
to 2014.

Who do you think's
gonna be happier,

the guy eating hotdogs
that didn't plan for his future

or the guy
who worked his ass off

to get where he wanted to go?

People always make
the same mistake.

They focus on short-term goals
instead of planning

for the future, instead
of planning for the future

and using a short-term strategy
to execute it.

You're the youngest
vice president

of the fastest growing
hedge fund in America.

You make a six-figure salary.

Your coworkers respect you,

and you want to throw all of
that away to, what, sell books?

I thought you liked the idea,
David.

I do like the idea.

I actually think
it's a great idea,

but it's not for me,

and I definitely don't think
it's for you.

Jeff, you're brilliant
and you're ambitious

and I love that about you,

but, ultimately,
you have to think bigger, okay?

You have a career to grow,
and you have places to go

and you have a family
to take care of

and your wife wants
to move your--

your whole family forward.

But I don't think that's
gonna happen with your plan.

Okay? Let's head out.

Well,
what Alisson should know--

What is internet, anyway?

Internet is that
massive computer network.

Starting your own business
is one of the most

challenging things you can do.

The risk often outweighs
the rewards,

but I'm telling you,
if you know what you're doing

and you got nothing
to lose,

then why not, right?

That's because fear-- fear is
what runs the human heart.

Hey.

But if you got the
guts to face what's ahead--

-When'd you get home?
-A little while ago.

I didn't have
two pennies to rub together.

But I didn't let it
slow me down, you know why?

I'll tell you why.
When I was a kid,

I used to caddy at this
country club.

And every morning...

Brought some take out.
You hungry?

Those biscuits
will ruin your dinner.

-What'd you get?
-Chinese.

So... you gonna tell me
why you left work early today?

No reason.

Oh, come on, I know
you had your pitch with David

and look at you,
you're wallowing in self-pity.

No, I'm not.

Jeff, you're a terrible liar.

He's not interested, okay?

Well, why not?

He said it was a great idea,

just not for the company
or for me.

What the hell's that
supposed to mean?

It means I shouldn't be
taking risks like this.

And he asked me, would I risk
everything for this idea?

And, honestly, I wouldn't.

Well,
why wouldn't you risk it all?

I don't think the risk
is worth the opportunity.

I have a steady career,
we have a family.

What if we wanna
have kids one day?

I can't be living
with this kind of risk.

Whoa, whoa, hold up there,
cowboy.

Listen, if we wanna have kids,

we'll discuss
that in the future.

Later on down the line.

As for your job,
you can get another one.

You're Jeff Bezos,

the youngest VP
in the history of D.E. Shaw.

you really think
this is your only opportunity

for a good job in the future?

Hell no!

Whatever it is
you choose to do,

you're going to be
incredible at.

I know it.

And if this is something
that you wanna do,

then I believe in you.

And you need to believe
in yourself,

'cause you're not just someone
who takes unnecessary risks,

you're someone who-- who
looks at the possibilities,

runs the numbers,

and then takes the chances
that are worth taking!

You said to think
about the future, right?

Is D.E. Shaw
really what you envision

for the rest of your life?

Regret... minimization.

What?

Regret minimization framework.

I need to minimize
the amount of regrets

that I'm gonna have by age 80.

Okay, that's--
that's one way to look at it.

See, I'm not gonna regret being
a part of this Internet thing,

but I will regret not trying,
and if it fails, who cares?

I'm not living my life
in regret.

So, you're gonna go for it?

Yeah, we're going for it!

All right, Internet man!
So, what's our next move?

We're quitting our jobs.

I'm sorry. We?

Yeah. I'm not doing
this without you.

And we're not starting
a business venture here.

-I need you.
-But-- But...

We can do this.

It's gonna be okay.

We have savings,
we're gonna be together.

You can have time to write.

It's gonna work out.

-Okay. Okay, I'm in.
-Okay? Doing it?

-We're doing it.
-We're doing it!

-You're amazing.
-I'm so excited for us.

This is gonna work.

-I'm scared, but I'm excited.
-I'm scared, too!

Zander.

Hey, it's Jeff Bezos.

Yeah, MacKenzie's great.
I'm starting a new business.

We're gonna sell
on the Internet.

Yeah, Warren, Internet.

I-N-T-E-R-N-E-T.

Yeah.
You have a modem, right?

Yeah, you're gonna
go online and buy.

You know how you said
if I ever had a big idea

to call you and-- and, um--
This is it.

We're starting a website.

Website.

Yeah, Nancy. Okay.

Hmm. We don't have a name
for it yet.

Valuation?

A million dollars?

Yeah, Bill, the valuation
isn't determined yet.

We don't know what the profit
margins are gonna be.

No. I'm working
on the business plan.

No, I've never started
a business before.

That's the point,
it's called a startup.

How about instead of saying
it's a startup business,

why don't you tell them
it's an investment opportunity?

If you just invest $50,000...

Yeah. Listen, David.
It's going to be big.

We're still working
on the plan,

but-- but we'd love
to invite you

to be one
of the first investors.

What do you mean
I'd make a terrible CEO?

How much is it?

$50,000.

Can't even start
a business with that.

No, that can't be,

we must've called
over 60 people today.

And half of them said no.

Maybe we can get a loan?

No bank is gonna lend us money.
We're a startup.

What do we do, then?

I don't know.

Let's go.

-You sure about this?
-It's our only option.

But it's up to you.

All right.

There you are! Oh!

-Hey, Mom.
-You made it!

Why didn't you give us
some warning?

I-- I would've rolled out
the red carpet.

You know me,
spontaneous to a fault.

Did you hear that?

He's about as spontaneous
as a stopwatch.

Oh, you look exhausted.
Well, come on in, come in.

-Oh, Mike, they're here!
-Oh, my God!

That's my boy. Oh, welcome!

So good to see you!
You look great!

So happy you guys made it,
look at this!

-Hey, Dad.
-Welcome.

This is so great
you guys are here!

Feels so good when you're here,

thank you so much, you guys,
for coming. Gonna be great.

Okay, I've gotta ask,

is he still totally
unorganized?

-Mom!
-Yes.

You know, when he was a kid,
he used to be just like that.

He had so many inventions,
remember, Mike,

up in his room that we finally
had to turn over the garage

-to make it your workshop!
-Thanks, Mom.

Oh, Mike, would you take the
luggage? Take their luggage.

We're gonna have a good time,
we're so happy.

-Thank you. All right.
-Thank you.

So...

- Oh, my gosh, is that you?
- It's me.

That is such a cute photo.

A lot of memories, eh?

Ah! We're so happy
you guys are here.

-Let's sit, sit, come on.
-Let's go.

So, is it happening?
Are we gonna be grandparents?

-No.
-No.

- Oh!
- Not yet.

This is a great time for you,
you are so busy

and you're doing so many
great things, it's better

to keep working now,
have the kid when you're ready.

How's work?

Actually... we quit our jobs.

-You quit?
-Yeah.

Both of you guys?

-Yep.
-Yep.

Did you have a fight
with David?

No, things are fine with David,
you know,

I think he's one
of the smartest people I know,

and somebody that uses
both sides of his brain.

But, um, just,
an opportunity came up

that we just couldn't pass up.

So, you got another offer?

No, Mom, um...

We're actually starting
a business online.

On the Internet.
Selling books.

The Internet?

So, the Internet, it's a vast
network of computers

that communicate with each
other and transfer information,

so why couldn't this network
be used to conduct commerce?

And we've identified
the potential

of selling books through
the Internet as a business.

Well, why would you want
to do that?

Why wouldn't you just go
to the store?

A physical store
can never have every book

that ever existed.

And our virtual store could
potentially have every book

and we'll just ship it to you.

Mm-hmm.

And plus, the internet's
growing at 2,300% a year.

Well, how do you know that?

Well, we've found several
analyst reports

and we've been identifying
other businesses

that-- that have seen that kind
of growth and we believe

we can achieve
that selling books.

I don't know, guys, I think
this seems really risky.

Couldn't you, like,
do this on nights

and weekends,
and keep your current job?

No.

Mom, we-- we already
quit our jobs.

And... we'll regret
not trying this business.

That's actually why we're here.

We were hoping that you both
would consider investing.

How much do you need?

Couple hundred thousand.

Three hundred would be great.

You each would get a couple
percentage points and ownership

in the business and,
if it's successful,

it could be millions
of dollars for you.

But I have to warn you, there's
a 70% chance it could fail.

I mean, that's the majority

of our retirement fund, honey.

When do you need it by?

Tomorrow.

Well, I've got an idea.

Dinner's almost ready.

Why don't we have a nice dinner

and we can just talk
about this later?

-You're up early.
-Yeah.

I just wanna tell you,

I don't invest in you
and I hope you understand that.

Why?

You know, it's an idea
that you have to understand,

it takes
a lot of planning,

a lot of things,
and we don't have a lot.

But I'm not gonna tell you,

you know how much
you represent to me.

And I just want to tell you
something.

We live in a free country.
I believe in America

that every dreams
can come true.

And the main thing that I want
you to know...

that I believe in you.

So, I'm going
to give you something.

These are life savings.

Thanks, Dad.

-I love you.
-I love you.

I won't let you down.

I know that.
Absolutely, I know that.

Can I ask you
for another favor?

Another favor now?

Can I borrow the truck?

Oh, my God,
you gonna kill me.

Your mom is gonna kill me, too,
because you know that--

Go ahead, enjoy yourself.
Today's a big day.

So, where are we heading?

Just keep heading west, babe.

Okay.

-I'll figure it out soon.
-I mean, take your time.

The movers are only,
I don't know,

18 hours behind us,
I don't--

I'm sure they don't mind
driving aimlessly.

It's probably not
the first time they do.

You sure
we're at the right place?

Um, you picked it.

Thank you.

I think I figured out
where we're going.

Oh. I'm really starting
to like the nomad life, though.

Well, normally,
an analysis like this

would take several months,
but since we have 24 hours

to notify the movers,

I've narrowed it down
to one city.

It's a city
with a favorable tax structure,

a reasonable cost of living,
a highly qualified workforce,

and access to ports.

Ports?

'Cause we'll be getting
so many books from Asia?

You never know.
So, drumroll, please.

We're moving to...
Seattle, Washington.

-Hmm.
-You're not excited.

I mean, the coffee's good,
right?

There's more than just
coffee in Seattle.

I better call the movers.

Yeah, they're gonna need
an actual address.

At least they know
where to point the truck now.

I wanna show you something.

You're about to see
something beautiful.

-It's beautiful.
-Yeah. Cadabra.

-What?
-Cadabra.

That's the name of our company.

Like magic.

So, you're sure
he's gonna do it for a price?

Excellent.

He's a divorce lawyer,
of course!

How exactly is opening
a corporation

like dissolving a marriage?

All right, thank you.

Great, so you'll have a draft
for us by Wednesday.

I'll send you my address
in Seattle once we get there.

Yeah. Cadabra, Inc.

Like Abra Cadabra. Yeah.

No, no. Not a cadaver.
Cadabra.

Yep. No, no, we're not selling
any magic supplies, just books.

Thank you.

Hey, Shel.
How are you? Jeff Bezos.

Yep. Peter Leventhal's friend.

So, we're heading your way,

wanted to see
if you're available tomorrow.

Get some breakfast
and we can talk about a job.

Yep.
San Francisco, perfect.

All right.
Call you in the morning.

Okay, here we go, Jeff.

Uh, with your left hand
take the nail like this,

and with your right hand hold
the hammer like that, okay?

Hold it, hold it
with strength, okay?

And then subtly tap on the nail
to seed it in place.

And then when you're ready,
hit it a little harder.

Then take your left hand away
and give it a whack.

-Okay.
-Okay? Try that.

-Did I do it good!
-Yeah, you did it!

All right, drink up!
You boys need to stay hydrated.

Oh, yeah.

Thanks, Grandma.

Supper's ready in 30 minutes.

Go inside and get cleaned up.

I'm making grandpa's
special dish today.

Mm.

You know, you always
wanna have great people

in your life, Jeff.

It's the one way to stay happy.

But make sure
it has at least three bedrooms

and an attached garage.

May I ask why?

I want us to be like

all the great American
suburb stories.

Apple. Dell. Disney.

They all started in a garage.

-You serious?
-Yeah.

But no more than 800 a month.

-Seems like kind of a lot.
-Seven hundred.

And we need the keys tomorrow.

I think the movers are
in Nebraska already.

Okay.

Oh, he's here.

Hi, Shel.

Jeff. My wife, MacKenzie.

MacKenzie. Nice to meet you.

-I'll leave you to it.
-Great.

So, Paul speaks
very highly of you.

Said he doesn't know anybody
that can build

a database as fast as you.

Yeah, I was part of the team
that wrote script decks.

-Oh, impressive stuff.
-It was.

You were also part of the whole
Earth catalogue, correct?

-Indeed.
-Yeah, great.

-You want a coffee?
-Sure.

I'll have a large coffee
and whatever he's having.

Cappuccino.

I'll pay 'cause we actually
have startup capital.

It's from my parents,
don't be overly impressed.

Here.

This is the whole
business plan?

Mm, no, just what I was able
to get done

between Fort Worth and now.

Um, I'll have the rest done
by the time we get to Seattle.

-Books, huh? Nothing else?
-That's it.

You got a name yet?

-Cadabra.
-Cadaver? Like a dead body?

No. Cadabra.
Like a magic trick.

That's much better.

Now,
based on your qualifications,

why are you perfect
for this programming job?

I was under the impression
you were pitching me a job.

-Yeah, but--
-I didn't drive all the way up

from Santa Cruz
to be interviewed.

-I kinda thought it'd be both.
-It's not.

You'd be very lucky to have me.

Probably right.

-I am.
-Fine.

The job is yours
if you want it.

I commend your good judgement.

Now, I must warn you,
the pay is shit,

you will be working
barbaric hours,

but you will receive
some stock options

and it will be
the most difficult project

you've ever worked on.

You know, most tech startups
never make it.

See, in the book business,

there's a huge disparity
between supply and demand

and it's virtually impossible

for a physical bookstore
to carry millions of books.

So, if you're able to build us
a website that can handle

a product category that large,
we will be successful.

Welcome aboard.

Okay, yeah.
Yeah, those dates are perfect.

Amazing. Yeah, great.

Thank you so much.
I'll call you when we arrive.

Okay.

-He's in.
-Well, that was easy.

How'd it go on your end?

You're not the only one
having success.

-Oh!
-Our new home.

Perfect.

-Pleasure.
-Thank you.

Yeah.

Maybe we should've seen it
first before renting.

It's perfect.

That's gotta go.

What do you think?

Potential at best.

Everything we need's
right here.

Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!

We came all the way
from New York for this?

Yeah, this is our new offices.

Got it.

Hey, look who's here!

- Hey, Paul!
- Jeff!

Good to see you.
Paul, meet Shel.

Your reputation precedes you.

-Same.
-How was the farewell party?

I'm a bit hungover,
honestly.

They threw me quite
the sendoff.

Even gave me a lovely gift.

They're a bit skeptical of
Cadabra's chances of success,

so they took up a collection
to tide me over

while I look for work.

-Almost $27.
-Wanna buy some shares?

Mind if I take a peek
at the books first?

Come on,
let me show you your new home.

I just finished setting up
the new computer system.

I went with
high-powered servers.

Splendid.

Only problem is
they draw so much power,

I had to run each one
off a different circuit.

They work great,

so long as you don't plug
anything else in.

Shit. Gimme a second.

- MacKenzie.
- Yes?

- What're you doing?
- Drying my hair!

I told you, don't plug anything
in while we're working.

Well,
what am I supposed to do, then?

Don't plug in any appliances!

Sorry, guys.

All right, guys.
Got some stuff

I want to share with you.
Let me get my notes.

I thought
he came from finance?

Is he a programmer, too?

He majored in computer
science at Princeton.

Oh, dear.

So, I've gone ahead
and analyzed every software

in the marketplace and,
unfortunately,

most of 'em were built
for a mail order system.

The customer places the order,
the order's processed,

and then the inventory's
updated

with three typical product
availabilities: in stock,

out of stock, and unavailable.

Our website's gonna
have seven of them:

shipped within 24 hours,

shipped within two
to three days,

shipped within one
to two weeks,

shipped within four
to six weeks,

not yet published,
out of stock,

and, for hard to find titles,
shipped within three months.

So, what does this all mean?

Indeed.

We need to build
our own software.

So, we're going open source?

We don't have a choice.

You see,
we don't have the finances

to hire a bunch of programmers
to build this for us.

So, we're gonna count
on thousands of programmers

around the world to build it
for us and update it for us,

which is gonna allow us to
focus on what really matters.

Selling books.
Make sense?

So, if we're gonna build
the world's greatest bookstore,

we're gonna need
the world's greatest website.

Let's get to it.

-Jeff.
-Yeah?

I feel the need
to remind you that,

given all the things
you want the site to do,

no one's ever built anything
even remotely like it before.

Exactly.

While we're attempting
the impossible,

what will you be doing?

Attempting the improbable.

I need to raise
a million dollars

if we're gonna get this website
live by summer.

If you're serious about
this timeline, we'll need help.

Fine. Put an ad out.

Which reminds me...

Never again
will we be referred

to as the website
that sells dead bodies.

Cadabra.com is defunct.

Our new name is--
Drumroll...

Relentless.com.

Nick, it's Jeff.
How are you?

You signed the contract,
you said you were sending

the check, and then you put
a stop payment on the check.

Do you understand
how that affects our company?

What do you mean you don't
understand what we're doing?

Yeah, I'm just following up
on that investment

you committed to.

A lot of great companies
have started in a garage.

Apple. Microsoft.

Um, yep.

The company's still going,
but we really need you

to send us the money,
if you can.

It's a virtual Internet store.

There's no physical location.

That's not our business model.

If you're not interested,
just tell me.

We're selling books.

I don't care
if you changed your mind,

if you make commitments,

you gotta
follow through in life.

You can't have
two million products

inside of a bookstore!

You think we're gonna fail?

Well, I think
you're gonna fail.

It's still a little bit
too confusing.

What do you mean?
It's a standard landing page.

You need to imagine that all
of our customers have never

used a computer before.

The homepage has to be very...
user-friendly.

I can't work
on this change tonight,

-I'll work on it tomorrow.
-No, no.

Let's get it done now
while the ideas are fresh.

Jeff, with all due respect,

we've been at this
for 12 hours straight.

And there's 24 hours
in the day, Shel.

I'll redraft it.
And burn the midnight oil.

Jeff?

-One second.
-Jeff.

One second, MacKenzie.

Is it important?

-No. It's fine.
-I'll be up in a bit.

What's a bit?

I don't know!

Goodnight, fellas.

Night.

- Thank you so much.
- Do you have your receipt?

- Hi, your name?
- Vazquez.

- Hello. How are you?
- Thank you.

- Thank you for attending.
- Of course.

- Hi, your name?
- Hi. Bezos.

Bezos.

-Here.
-Thank you.

Thank you. Hi.

Okay, okay.

Now it's time
for you brave souls

to stand up and tell us
about yourselves.

Who you are,
your hopes and dreams.

Who's gonna go first?

-Okay.
-Okay. Hi.

Hi, I'm Molly Jean Andrews

and I'm from
Green Valley, Arizona,

and I'm opening up a little
shop called Kitchen Bible.

And I have a few cookies.
Do you wanna try one?

All right. Um, you know,

there's gonna be nothing
but cookbooks.

I'm not looking to get rich
or anything,

I just don't wanna lose
my shirt either.

Hello. I'm Charles Allen Morrow
from Highland Park, Illinois.

My shop, Marrow's Antiquaria,
opening in August,

is going to be specializing
in rare books

and autographs in all fields.

Okay, anybody else?

Oh, please!

Hi. How are you?

Um, my name is Jeff, Jeff Bezos
from Seattle, Washington,

and I'm mainly here to learn
more about the book business

because this summer
we'll be launching

the world's largest bookstore,
relentless.com.

A bit overzealous
for a bookstore.

Don't you think?

Well, I can--
I can explain, actually.

The reason why it'll be
the world's largest bookstore

is because its vast library

is gonna exist exclusively
on the Internet.

Okay, well...

Let's move on
to the other topics, then.

Um, excuse me one second.

-Hey. Internet guy.
-Who, me?

-Yes, you.
-Hi, how're you doing, sir?

-Do you know who I am?
-Of course. Mr. Leonard Riggio.

-And you are?
-Jeff. Jeff Bezos.

Care to have a drink with me,
Jeff?

See, since books
are a true commodity,

it seemed like the ideal
first product to sell online,

being that books
in every physical--

-Can I get you anything else?
-We're fine.

Books in all your physical
locations are identical.

So, customers
should be comfortable

purchasing them online.

Hmm. Seems like an interesting
idea you have there.

Well, it's more
than just an idea.

- Is it, though?
- Yeah.

I mean, we have programmers
working on it now,

we'll be live this summer.

But until it actually
comes to fruition,

and more than anything,
actually proves to be viable,

it's... just an idea.

What did you say
you're calling it again?

Relentless.

Huh. Peculiar name.

Doesn't quite fit the book
industry, though, does it?

How so?

"Relentless,"
I mean, it's aggressive.

You're trying
to lure bookworms in,

you're not trying
to ready them for battle.

See, I never looked
at it that way.

I always thought
our competitors

would see us a certain way,
not-- not the consumer.

And that right there is why
Relentless will never be

anything more
than just an idea.

But, you see,
we're open to an investment

and maybe a partnership
with Barnes & Noble

where we are your Internet
fulfillment wing.

No, I-- I'm sorry, James.

-Uh, Jeff.
-Right. Jeff, uh...

We don't do that.

You see,
we're not just gonna be

another independent bookseller.

Okay. Stop right there.

Right. Do you-- Do you know
who you're speaking to?

-Of course.
-But do you really?

Because I'm not
just Leonard Riggio.

I am Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Biggest book retailer in
the entire industry, all right?

And we just had an 87%
gain in revenue

over the last quarter alone.

I'm well aware of your success.

Oh, well, then
you should also be aware

that we're about to open
100 more stores this year.

And then it's only a matter
of time before

independent booksellers such
as yourself become obsolete.

I have no interest
in investing in anything

other than my own company.

But it's more about the future.

Would you like some advice?

-It's Jeff, right?
-Yeah.

Um, I think you should go find
another business

to look at.

Take whatever money you have
and put it into

the manufacturing
sector or something.

I-- It's-- You know, they're
having a lot of growth lately.

But you will never find
success in the book industry,

I can guarantee you that.

I'd like to say that
it was good chatting with you,

but, frankly,
it was a waste of time.

That is for the drinks.

And whatever is leftover,
you can consider

it seed money
for a new business venture.

You don't have to be quiet.

I waited up.

How'd it go?

-Terrible.
-Why? What happened?

I don't wanna talk about it.

Oh, come on.
I'm just asking about your day.

MacKenzie,
I don't wanna talk about it.

It was a complete waste
of time.

Nobody's interested
in our company.

Is that what you wanna hear?

Is this how it's gonna be
from now on?

Like what?

-Like what?
-Like this!

We barely talk, and when
we do talk, you just yell.

-I'm not yelling.
-Yes, you are!

You're yelling.

No, ever since we got here
I can't talk to you

without you getting upset
at me or telling me to shut up.

In case you haven't realized,
I have a company

that I'm trying to get off
the ground.

So, excuse me if I don't
give you 100% of my attention--

I don't want 100%
of your attention,

I just want a fraction of it.

Please.

This is my life, MacKenzie,

and I have everything
in the world invested

in this business
and I will not fail.

I will work 24 hours a day
to make sure that I succeed.

And I'm sorry
if I don't make you a priority.

-We.
-What're you talking about?

We put everything
we had into this.

In case you forgot, I quit
my job and moved here for you!

Give me a break.

Jeff.

You're a really smart guy.

Hell, the smartest guy
I've ever met,

but you've been acting
like a complete dick

since we've gotten here.

How can you not see
how you're acting?

We have a business
that has taken hundreds

of thousands of dollars
of investor funds,

that is days away
from potentially closing.

We have the shittiest
fucking name on the planet,

relentless.com,
that doesn't appeal

to any of our customer base.

So, we need to understand

that Jeff may not have time
for MacKenzie.

God.

'Cause we have other
priorities.

You're not even listening
to what I'm saying.

I get that you have a lot
going on.

I get that everything
is riding on this idea

and I'm not asking you
to stop focusing on that.

I'm asking you to be present.

Be a little more human,
for God's sake.

You're so absorbed
in the computer,

it's like you're not even here.

Whoa, look at that!

-Lot of smoke.
-Yeah.

Okay. Mm-hmm.

Okay. There's some little
coolant over here,

so why don't you
hand me that, Jeff?

There we go.

Okay.

All right,
do you wanna turn it on now?

-Hey!
-Whoa, you fixed it!

You should see a mechanic,
though.

-Thank you so much.
-You're welcome.

You're a godsend.

Okay, here we go.

You know, we really, really did
a good job here today.

We helped out--
Jeff, hey.

-Listen to me, pay attention.
-Okay.

We helped out today,
it's important to give back,

and it's all about
just being human.

-Right?
-Yes, Grandpa.

So, help me up.

Jeff.

Jeff.

Jeff, are you seriously
not paying attention right now?

-I've gotta go.
-Go where?

I have an idea.

-I need to go to the garage.
-Are you fucking kidding me!

See, this is what I'm talking
about, you're obsessed!

We'll talk tomorrow about this.

No, don't treat me like
I'm one of your employees!

Jeff!

Hey, guys!

-Hey! How was your trip?
-You look like shit.

Well,
I haven't slept at all.

But it was worth it.
I figured something out.

First off,
relentless.com is out.

It makes us sound crazy.

We don't want our secret
getting out, now, do we?

See, whatever we call ourselves

has to be something
we never need to change.

Can it start
with the letter "A"?

Search engines
have started ranking

the sites alphabetically,
so being right at the top

would be a huge advantage.

- Interesting.
- I've got it.

aar.com.

With two "A"s.

Short for "aardvark"?

Keep working on it.

You see, I realized, we've
been missing a critical factor.

It doesn't matter
if our product library

is the size of seven
New York City phone books,

there's something
we've been missing.

-Can you guess what it is?
-Wouldn't dare.

What's the easiest
way to build customer loyalty?

Um, coupons?

Close.

You see, when you go
to that independent bookstore,

you can take your time.

Browse.
No pressure to buy.

You know you're getting
a fair price.

That human touch.

Now, imagine we can create
that human touch virtually.

Putting the customer first
no matter what all the time.

Exactly.

You see, our competitors
are all focused

on what they're all doing.

They're not focused
on the customer.

We will be focused
on the customer.

When they get to our home page,
they're gonna see

our entire product library,
fair prices, fast shipping,

easy returns.

No matter what it costs.

The customer is always first.

Can you make the homepage
do that?

It's complicated.

I know. Do it.

Still angry?

I'm sorry.

Look, I know I've been
a little distracted by work,

but I'm sorry.

I don't need you to apologize
for focusing on the company.

I-- I get
that that's important.

I need you to apologize
for being an asshole.

Okay, I get it, you've been
working 18-hour days,

you're losing money,
you've barely eaten or slept

or showered, I get that.
I see it.

But that doesn't give you
a right to treat me

the way
you've been treating me.

You're right.

I've lost focus
on what's important

and it will never happen again.

I love you.

I love you, too.

So, how's the site
coming along?

Work in progress.

I got the boys working
on something right now.

Yeah?
What're they working on?

Something to help
improve customer experience,

give people that in-store
touchy feeling.

You know, the human touch
when shopping.

You came up with that
on your own?

Yeah,
last night in the garage.

Still gotta figure out a new
name for the site, though.

Wait. You're a writer.

You should have hundreds
of ideas.

Okay.

-I don't know.
-Come on.

But I-- I struggle with titles,
like, I...

How 'bout...
earthsbiggestbookstore.com?

Little wordy.
Great tagline, though.

Sorry.

Anyways,
we have bigger fish to fry.

-Investors?
-Yup.

I sometimes feel like these
investors are just wasting

my life away, to be honest.

I'm sure
you'll figure something out.

It better happen soon.

We're running out of time.

The plan's
to open 97 new superstores

in addition to its already
existing 261 locations.

Will this be the end
for independent booksellers?

Would you mind
turning that TV off?

Up next!

Still don't like it.

Why not?

It's not clever enough.

You said you wanted it simple.

Simple, but it needs
to have a little bit of...

What's that word?

-Charm?
-Exactly.

You see, it needs to be
charming, make customers smile.

What's a smile again?

I think it's the opposite
of that.

We'll tackle it after lunch.

You care to join us?

Not today, boys.

I need to go have lunch
with an investor.

-Jeff.
-Yeah.

Before you go...

There's a couple of things
that we've been meaning

-to talk to you about.
-Sure.

First,
any luck getting us that help?

The ad's out, but, you know,
I haven't got any leads.

You mean this job ad?

"You must have experience
designing and building large

and complex,
yet maintainable systems,

and you should be able to do
so in about one-third

of the time that most competent
people think possible."

-Perfect.
-"You should have a master's

degree or doctorate
from a top university.

World class communication
skills are essential."

Excellent.

You go.

It'll sound nicer
in an English accent.

With all due respect,
Jeffrey,

have you lost your bloody mind?

Why on Earth would someone

with those qualifications
want to work here?

You're both working here.

But you're not describing us
at all.

Shel attended UC Santa Cruz.

I got my postdoc in Israel.

We're not the best,
we're merely the most

willing to work like dogs
for ludicrously low pay.

Time is running out,
Jeff, you gotta get off

your high horse and hire
whoever the hell you can get.

So, basically
any capable human being?

All right.
I'll put MacKenzie on it,

but we gotta figure out where
we're gonna put these people.

That brings us
to the second thing

we wanted to talk to you about.

I mean, look around,
Jeff, come on.

We could move
those file cabinets

and squeeze in a couple
of desks over there.

How are we gonna buy desks?
We've got no money.

-Jeff!
-Fine.

We'll figure something out.
All right?

Maybe I'll use a door.

Niko! How are you? It's Jeff.

We're in Seattle
working on a new startup.

You wanna come over?

The pay's shit.

Sure, it probably
pays more than that.

All right.
I'll send you some information.

Bye.

Hello? Arthur!

It's good to hear from you.

How's the business coming?

Yeah.
That's what I like to hear.

So, to what do I owe
the pleasure today?

Yeah, yeah, I've heard of it,
the so-called online bookstore.

Really?

Yeah, uh-- I-- Thanks, Arthur,
I appreciate you telling me.

Oh, you better believe
I'm gonna take care of this.

Yeah, thanks again.
Yeah, we'll talk soon.

This is where
the magic happens.

It's a dump.

I know. Come on, that's
your desk right over there.

Is this a door?

It's the best desk
money can buy.

Now, here's the rest
of the team.

Shel, Paul, MacKenzie you know.

Of course.
Hey, MacKenzie.

So, you've got your computer,
your full setup there.

- Hey, Jeff.
- Slight problem.

How slight?

One that threatens
our very existence.

British drôlerie there?

No, deadly serious,
I'm afraid.

I went to run a test
on the checkout

to see if we could order
an actual book

and, to my horror,
the distributor requires

a 10-book minimum order
on all retailers.

What?

Ten books per order,
no exceptions.

That makes no sense.

I know. I told them that.

But seeing as they're
the largest distributor

with five million titles
and I'm a nobody,

they weren't really
interested in my opinion.

It's just how they've always
done business.

Let's try a different
distributor.

The only other
distributor that matters

has the identical policy.

I humbled myself,
begged them to let our poor,

fledgling company order
less than a minimum

and they told me
to go fuck myself.

Not in those words exactly,
but pretty close.

So, what's the bottom line?

For every one book we order,

we're gonna have to pay
for ten.

We're gonna burn
through our cash reserves

in less than three months.

And then we'll be swimming
in inventory

we don't even need
with no place to put it.

How does the payment work?

Do they charge you
when you order the book?

Or when they ship it?

Or when we actually get it?

-When the books arrive.
-You're sure?

Yeah.

So, if we order ten books,

but only seven arrive--

We're only billed
for the seven.

-Niko!
-Yeah.

You were a biology teacher.

-Yeah.
-I need you to find me

the most obscure science
book out there.

Something that is impossible
to find.

Here's a hot title.

The Lichen-Flora of Chicago
and Vicinity

by William Wirt Calkins.

Carver Press. 1896.
Definitely out of print.

Perfect.

Now, what's the name
of the new Grisham book?

The Rainmaker.

Let's go ahead and order
one copy of The Rainmaker,

nine copies
of Niko's science book.

And the distributor
should only charge us

for the one copy
of The Rainmaker.

Yeah. And if any of the back
ordered books arrive,

we'll just return them.

Now what?

We wait, I suppose.

No. Full speed ahead.

Even if it's off a cliff?

We've done worse. Let's go!

Full steam.

Hello?

Yeah, this is him.

I'm available.
Tomorrow?

I'll be there. Thank you.

That was Leonard Riggio
of Barnes & Noble.

What did he want?

He wants to meet tomorrow.

Something about
a business opportunity.

Well, that's good.

Yeah. That's good.

-Jeff?
-Oh. Mr. Riggio.

-Pleasure.
-Good to see you.

What would you like
to talk about?

An old friend
gave me a call the other day.

Told me about you, actually.

Seems you didn't take my advice

and you're still going around
trying to get investments.

Can you blame me?

See, it's not that you're
pursuing this silly little idea

that bothers me,
it's the fact that apparently

you still are referring to it

as the world's
biggest bookstore.

I don't see a problem with it.

You-- You don't see
why that offends me?

-No.
-Well, then, I'll tell you.

How old are you Jeff?
What, about 35?

Thirty-one.

When you were a one-year-old,

I opened a little shop called,
uh, Student Book Exchange.

I was just a kid
at the time at NYU,

but it turned into be
a major retailer.

Coast to coast.

Well, I mean, that's amazing.

You should just listen,
you might learn something.

So, a little bit later,

it was when you were
about seven years old,

I acquired a little shop
called Barnes & Noble,

and I liked its name,
so I used it

after I picked up
a few hundred more shops.

But Wall Street said,
"Well, there's no more room,

my friend, to grow
in the book industry,"

and I said, "Fuck you.
I'm just getting started."

And that's when I invented
the superstore.

So, you don't understand
why you calling yourself

the world's biggest
bookstore offends me?

Well, it's because
it's a goddamn lie.

We hold that title and will
for many more years to come.

And if we ever lose it,

it'll be to Crown or,
I don't know, Kmart or Borders.

Not to some dope who's
working out of a shit hole,

who hasn't sold one
single book in his entire life.

I understand.

Yeah, I'm pretty articulate.

You see, it's not meant to be
taken literally.

It's just a way
for our customers to understand

the vast extent and potential
of the Internet.

See, I don't care
what your intentions are,

just stop saying it.

You don't
and I'll sue your ass.

But not right now, no.

Not even after you've actually
sold a few thousand books.

I'm gonna wait
for just the right time,

like the week
that you go public.

And then you'll be dead
in the crib.

Or I can make you
a proposal right now

so we can bury this idea five
feet, under where it belongs.

Barnes & Noble is willing
to acquire this idea

from you for the gracious
sum of $1 million.

I mean, God knows that's
more than what it's worth.

But, you know,
it should be enough for you

to cover and recoup
your losses,

pay whoever you owe,

and bother someone
other than myself.

You're naive.

Frankly,
insults me to a degree,

but you have ambition that
reminds me of my younger self.

I, too, had dreams
of being a conqueror,

but you would be a fool
not to take this offer.

See,
you have one thing wrong.

I'm not a conqueror.

I'm an explorer.

What's the difference?

It pays to explore.

You remember that time
at that bar in Miami?

I was so excited.

I'm meeting Leonard Riggio,
the legend,

CEO of Barnes & Noble,
and inviting him

on this journey with me
to invest in amazon.com.

And when you walked out
on that meeting,

I realized something.

You're the past
and I'm the future.

And one day, your stores
will start to close,

just like all those
independent bookstores

you proudly
put out of business.

And your empire
will begin to crumble

the day that my website
goes live.

Jeff? How'd it go?

Good.

He offered to buy us out.

-What?
-How much?

A million.

Yes!

You said yes, right?

I told him to go fuck himself.

Are you bloody mad?

You see, he's willing
to pay us a million dollars

before we're even live.
Doesn't that tell you anything?

He's scared. He's scared
of what we're gonna become.

Jeff, be sensible.

We don't have any cash,
we don't have any investors.

At this rate, we're never
gonna get off the ground.

Why are you challenging me
about this?

I'm not challenging you.

Listen, do I need to go
under this table,

get the certificate
that says I'm the CEO

of this company
to tell you to trust me?

Honey...

Anyways, after what I told him,
that deal's gone.

But I do have good news.

What good news could you
possibly give us after this?

Our name.

Come on. Get close.

Come on! Drumroll, please.

Whoa!

I like that!

Amazon.com!

Named after the world's
largest river!

Actually, five times bigger
than the second largest river.

Bet he tells us
what it is.

The Congo, of course.

Amazon.com is a name
we'll never need to change.

It tells everybody that we are
the world's biggest bookstore.

And it starts with an A,
just for you.

-Yeah.
-Um, is it Amazon.com

or without and just Amazon?

It's Amazon.com. The dot com
is-- is to be included

in every instance.

One more question. Um, why?

See,
the dot com tells our customers

that we exist exclusively
on the internet.

That's true of a lot of places.

No one else uses the dot com.

But we will be the first.

All right. Niko, you still
got those friends in New York?

Sure, I know some guys.

Well, we need to raise
some money fast.

Let's get some new investors.

Shel, let's pull up
that homepage.

Come on, let's get to work.

Now, see where it says
"World's Biggest Bookstore?"

Cut it.

Now, scroll
all the way to the top.

Right there. On the top.

Bolder.

Bolder. Perfect.

Yeah.

It worked!

- Whoo!
- Nice.

Oh, wow.

Because it's an online model,

we believe we can have
significant cost advantages

and undercut our competitors.

And what's to stop them
both from opening

their own online stores?

Well, they likely will.
Um, but they're doomed to fail.

Because they're probably
gonna be competing

with themselves
in that scenario, right?

Exactly.
Their physical locations.

And to compete,
they're gonna have to close

those physical locations,

and I doubt
they're gonna do that.

And if they do,
it's not gonna be anytime soon.

By then, Amazon will have
the market share

and it'll be too late.

Exactly. We believe that
we will probably lose money

for up to 20 years.

Uh, but at Amazon.com,
we're focused on the long-term.

Uh, not short-term
profitability.

Um, because we don't charge
our customers sales tax,

uh, we believe we can continue
to gain market share,

um, without profitability.

You're talking about
monopolizing the market here.

You really want to get
into that, Mr. Bezos?

Monopolizing is-- is a very,
uh, harsh word.

Um, it's more survival
of the fittest.

Um, the smaller companies
will fail.

Obviously,
in order for us to succeed,

we need to continuously
be raising capital,

and, um, this company will
require significant amounts

of capital if we're gonna
build the infrastructure

and the system
to have higher revenue

and higher profitability
down the road.

But you have
so many big box stores.

They're not gonna let you
get away with this.

Well, physical locations
are paying up

to $10 a square foot
when we pay pennies

a square foot
for our warehouses

that can be located
just outside

of big metropolitan areas.

Uh, we only have a small
facility right now in Seattle,

but we believe expanding
those facilities nationwide

will get the product
to our customers quicker

and allow us to maintain
that lower cost structure.

To me,
if I'm hearing you correctly,

you're open 24 hours,

it's faster and easier
to buy books,

it's cheaper
'cause of sales tax,

and it's cheaper
for you to deliver that

'cause you don't have the cost
of brick and mortar.

Does it end with books,

or would there be
an opportunity to sell

other products and services
to this customer base?

Other categories that we look
to expand into are music

and, um, other
vast library categories.

I mean that was the greatest
performance ever.

-Thanks!
-And it means a lot, like,

when you said
full steam ahead, like this--

But what about
small businesses?

-What about 'em?
-They're honest people.

We're a small business,

we should be helping
each other out.

We won't be for long.

If this is gonna work,
we have to continue to scale.

All right, team.

So, as you all know,
beta testing begins today.

We've assembled a list of
several hundred of our friends

and family
that will be receiving a link

to a test site where
they can place test orders.

Of course,
they could place a real order,

but there's a chance that

there'll still be some
glitches.

Now, there's a lot
of work to be done

before the whole site goes live
in July, but there's a saying.

You can work long,
you can work hard,

and you can work smart,

but you can only
pick two of them.

At Amazon.com, we need
all three every single day.

If we're gonna make Amazon.com
the world's greatest website,

it begins with all
of our hard work.

So, let's go.

Ready?

We're live.

I'm going to get
something to eat.

Care to join me?

-I'm gonna hang back.
-All right.

- Niko?
- Yeah, I could eat.

- Jeff?
- I'm good, thank you.

All right.

Jeff, can I talk to you
for a second?

Sure.

So, I guess because
we're on the home stretch now,

I've been thinking.

I look at everything
I've given to this company

and quite frankly,
I put everything I had into it.

Paul has, too.

I mean, we built the damn site.

The site is everything,
you know that.

You guys are rock stars,
I know.

So, I guess
what I'm wondering is,

why aren't we founders
along with you and MacKenzie?

Why aren't we receiving
founder's shares?

'Cause you never asked.

You remember that time
we got together for coffee?

Came up with the terms
of your agreement,

wrote up the contract,
which you signed.

Now, whatever the difference
is from what you did receive

to what you believe you're due
should be a lesson to you.

Know your worth, Shel.

When we had first met
in that coffee shop,

I knew my worth.

I knew my worth so much,
I was willing to follow

this dream of yours
to revolutionize commerce.

I know you wanna
change the world,

Jeff, but what're you trying
to change it to?

Huh. To think
I figured you out.

I just want to make history.

Hey. I'm going to bed.
You should, too.

- I should, too.
- No, but really. You should.

It's the weekend.

The test is running smoothly,
and there's no reason

why you can't get a good
night's sleep with your wife.

While you're at it,

why don't you send
Paul and Shel home, too.

You're right.

Don't sound too excited.

I just feel like watching
my toddler learn how to walk.

If I don't pay attention...

It's gonna crack its head open
on a chrome coffee table?

Exactly.

That's a feeling
I wouldn't trust.

It's just a test.

None of this matters yet,

it's gonna be a few weeks
before any orders

even maybe come in,
you know--

Is that what I think it is?

Fluid Concepts
and Creative Analogies.

Paid with a credit card.

We got our first order.