I just stumbled in those two articles  – found interesting to connect them.

One one side, Bezos, in a typical Amazon no-hostages-taken style http://allthingsd.com/20131202/afraid-amazon-will-crush-your-small-business-complaining-is-not-a-strategy-says-ceo-jeff-bezos/?mod=atd_daily_email_list  saying that “complaining is not a strategy”.  True.  Reacting is the strategy.

This is the interesting part of the interview. Makes you really feel like opening a small neighbourhood bookstore tomorrow.

Charlie Rose: A lot of small book publishers and other smaller companies worry that the power of Amazon gives them no chance.

Jeff Bezos: You got to earn your keep in this world. When you invent something new, if customers come to the party, it’s disruptive to the old way.

Rose: Yeah, but I mean, there are areas where your power’s so great, and your margin — you’re prepared to make it so thin — that you can drive people out of business. And you have that kind of strength, and people worry: Is Amazon ruthless in their pursuit of market share?

Bezos: The Internet is disrupting every media industry, Charlie. You know, people can complain about that, but complaining is not a strategy. Amazon is not happening to book selling; the future is happening to book selling.

The second http://allthingsd.com/20131202/emotionless-e-commerce-and-the-death-of-the-joy-of-gift-giving/?mod=atd_daily_email_list is an article on how dumb and depressingly efficient is to buy on Amazon (et al.); and it shows a possible opportunity to resist to the power of scale. But it is hard, and requires focus  and possibly more and more consumer awareness about how large companies use and treat consumers.

Do no evil. ha.