Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has revealed the single and most important factor behind the company’s trillion-dollar success: “obsessive, compulsive focus on the customer” rather than on competitors. Speaking at the Economic Club of Washington, Bezos stressed on the fact that many of the CEOs and founders claim that they prioritise customers but in reality they spend most of their time in keeping a close watch on their rivals. “It is a huge advantage to any company if you can stay focused on your customer instead of your competitor,” he said.
Customer obsession comes first at Amazon
Amazon’s career page lists 14 leadership principles and ‘customer obsession’ tops the list. The philosophy urges leaders to “start with the customer and work backwards” to earn and keep trust. Bezos feels that it is always important to identify your true customer. “It is a huge advantage to any company if you can stay focused on your customer instead of your competitor. So then you have to identify who is your customer,” said Bezos.At the Washington Post, for example, he said the customer is the reader, not advertisers. “Advertisers want to be where there are readers. So, it’s really not complicated,” he noted.Bezos pointed to Amazon Prime as a prime example of customer‑driven innovation. Launched in 2005 with free and fast shipping, the service was initially criticized as “too good to be true.” Yet its focus on consumer needs proved transformative.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ advice to young people
Jeff Bezos shared an important and surprising piece of advice for young people who are dreaming of entrepreneurial success. Bezos said ‘Go work at McDonald’s.’ As reported by Fortune, in a recent interview, Bezos stressed on the importance of early work experience especially in the fast-paced, customer-facing environment. “I always advise young people: Go work at McDonald’s,” Bezos said. “You learn responsibility. You learn how to show up. You learn how to deal with people. You learn how to hustle.”For those unaware, Bezos started Amazon out of his garage in 1994. He believes that entry-level jobs such as those at McDonald’s tech foundational skills which are important for long term success. He emphasised that such small roles are necessary as they instill skill like discipline, resilience and the ability to handle pressure. These are the traits that many Gen Z entrepreneurs may overlook in their rush to build startups.
