Publications
Publications
- November 2020 (Revised March 2021)
- HBS Case Collection
Amazon: Cult or Culture?
By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah L. Abbott and Tricia Gregg
Abstract
Amazon was one of the first entrants in e-commerce. Under the leadership of founder Jeff Bezos, Amazon had expanded beyond books to manufacturing and selling a wide range of products and services globally. Bezos had built a customer-centric culture that permeated all aspects of the company. As Amazon continued to grow and expand into new business areas, would it be able to maintain its culture and practices? How much of Amazon’s success depended on the cult of Bezos? As the company continued to diversify beyond Bezos’s immediate oversight, what could Amazon do to ensure that it stayed relentless?
Keywords
Culture; Technology Companies; Retail; Human Resource Practices; Growth; Founder; Leadership; Organizational Culture; Growth Management; Information Technology; Human Resources; Talent and Talent Management; Retail Industry; Technology Industry
Citation
Groysberg, Boris, Sarah L. Abbott, and Tricia Gregg. "Amazon: Cult or Culture?" Harvard Business School Case 421-008, November 2020. (Revised March 2021.)