7 Things to Take Away from Jeff Bezos’ 2020 Letter to Shareholders
On April 15th 2021, Jeff Bezos released his final shareholder letter as CEO of Amazon. Over more than 5,600 words, Bezos covers his vision for the future and what it means to create value, be an inventor and fight against the norms to differentiate.
Here’s a summary of 7 things to takeaway from his letter, in bulleted form for a quick read:
1. Value creation
Create more than you consume. Create value for everyone you interact with.
2. Stock prices are not about the past. They are a prediction of future cash flows discounted back to the present. The stock market anticipates.
3. On the details, always be flexible — but on matters of vision, be stubborn & relentless.
4. When we lead, others follow.
5. Smart action on climate change will not only stop bad things from happening, it will also make our economy more efficient, help drive technological change and reduce risks.
6. On climate change: The coming decade will be decisive. Make meaningful, tangible and ambitious commitments.
7. Differentiation is survival; the universe wants you to be typical
- Distinctiveness & originality is valuable
- We are all taught to ‘be yourself’; what I’m really asking you to do is to embrace and be realistic about how much energy it takes to maintain that distinctiveness. The world wants you to be typical — in a thousand ways, it pulls at you. Don’t let it happen.
- Being yourself is worth it, but don’t expect it to be easy or free. You’ll have to put energy into it continuously.
Read the full letter here.
