as competition, even asserting that they wanted them to survive—the
same way a reticulated python feels bad for the cute little mammal it
suffocates and swallows whole. Similarly, as Amazon invests billions in
last-mile delivery, Mr. Bezos claims Amazon has no intention of
replacing UPS, DHL, or FedEx, but to “supplement” them. Yeah, that’s
it, Jeff and Amazon are here to help.
There is no reason to believe that these strategies—insurgency,
false humility, security, and simplicity plus discounting—won’t work
again one day against the horsemen. Giant companies face their own
challenges: they lose their best talent to more rewarding start-ups;
their physical plant grows old; their empires grow so big they can no
longer coordinate all their pieces; they get distracted by investigations
by envious or nervous governments. The processes put in place to
scale begin slowing the firm down, as managers begin believing that
adhering to the guidelines is more important than making good
decisions. Bezos insists that there will never be a Day 2.^12 It may seem
unlikely that Amazon will one day lose its way. It will. Business mimics
biology and, thus far, the mortality rate is 100 percent. The same is
true of the Four. They will die. The question is not if, but when, and by
whose hand?