The Everything War, Dana Mattioli
The Everything War, Dana Mattioli
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

The Everything War
Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power

Author: Dana Mattioli

Narrator: Caroline Hewitt, Dana Mattioli

Unabridged: 14 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/23/2024


Synopsis

Most Anticipated by Foreign Policy, Globe and Mail

“Riveting and explosive.” – Christopher Leonard

From veteran Amazon reporter for The Wall Street Journal, The Everything War is the first untold, devastating exposé of Amazon's endless strategic greed, from destroying Main Street to remaking corporate power, in pursuit of total domination, by any means necessary.

In 2017, Lina Khan published a paper that accused Amazon of being a monopoly, having grown so large, and embedded in so many industries, it was akin to a modern-day Standard Oil. Unlike Rockefeller’s empire, however, Bezos’s company had grown voraciously without much scrutiny. In fact, for over twenty years, Amazon had emerged as a Wall Street darling and its “customer obsession” approach made it indelibly attractive to consumers across the globe. But the company was not benevolent; it operated in ways that ensured it stayed on top. Lina Khan’s paper would light a fire in Washington, and in a matter of years, she would become the head of the FTC. In 2023, the FTC filed a monopoly lawsuit against Amazon in what may become one of the largest antitrust cases in the 21st century.

With unparalleled access, and having interviewed hundreds of people – from Amazon executives to competitors to small businesses who rely on its marketplace to survive – Mattioli exposes how Amazon was driven by a competitive edge to dominate every industry it entered, bulldozed all who stood in its way, reshaped the retail landscape, transformed how Wall Street evaluates companies, and altered the very nature of the global economy. It has come to control most of online retail, and uses its own sellers’ data to compete with them through Amazon’s own private label brands. Millions of companies and governmental agencies use AWS, paying hefty fees for the service. And, the company has purposefully avoided collecting taxes for years, exploited partners, and even copied competitors—leveraging its power to extract whatever it can, at any cost. It has continued to gain market share in disparate areas, from media to logistics and beyond. Most companies dominate one or two industries; Amazon now leads in several. And all of this was by design.

The Everything War is the definitive, inside story of how it grew into one of the most powerful and feared companies in the world – and why this lawsuit opens a window into the most consequential business story of our times.

 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dayna on April 30, 2024

Honestly, mind blowing. This was so informational and yet so easy to digest. The authors way of writing was trying so smooth and engaging. I think a lot of companies bank on you not being able to understand or make sense of their behavioral data but Dana Mattioli says "bet" ✌️......more

Goodreads review by Nate on May 08, 2024

Corporations putting profits ahead of people is an old story at this point but aggressive, rapacious Amazon stands alone. From the poor treatment of its warehouse workers and delivery drivers to the cutthroat culture of its corporate offices Amazon’s business practices have been consistently immoral......more

Goodreads review by David on April 20, 2024

Someone that hasn't been following the Amazon story will get up to speed here. One thing this suffers from is hewing to the stories Mattioli broke at the Wall Street Journal, and therefore emphasizing those parts of the Amazon story. The ending—the FTC's lawsuit against Amazon—comes as more of a sur......more

Goodreads review by Phil on May 03, 2024

I looked at a two-star review of this amazing book and laughed. Anyone who denies Amazon's monopoly-level power in 2024 is delusional. As Mattioli adeptly shows, Amazon's reach is practically unprecedented these days. Its actions are inarguably anticompetitive, and those who doubt as much should rea......more

Goodreads review by Reed on January 05, 2025

I came into this book hoping to crystalize my feelings about Amazon and left with a significantly deeper understanding of the company, the american economy, anti-trust regulations and PR influence. I know how i feel about Amazon a lot more than I did last week. Ill start with some facts before i get......more


Quotes

“Riveting, shocking, and full of revelations, The Everything War is the thrilling account of how Amazon redefined corporate power, and did so with a single minded focus on rolling over the competition in its pursuit for dominance. This one could be a classic.”

Bryan Burrough, co-author of Barbarians at the Gate and Forget the Alamo

"An unflinching expose of thuggish strategies employed by Amazon—tactics that not only hobble competitors, exploit paying customers, but also cripple aspiring start-ups that make the mistake of sharing product secrets, only to find Amazon knock-offs sold on the consumer monolith’s website."—Jacquie McNish, co-author of Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry

"A riveting and explosive work of investigative reporting that will stand as a classic. Dana Mattioli has managed to unearth the deepest secrets of the world’s most powerful retailer, bringing it all into the daylight in vivid detail. Every page is revelatory and the characters—from the domineering billionaire CEO, to the brilliant 30-something trustbuster in Washington who pursues him—seem like they’ve walked straight out of a novel. This is the business story of our time."—Christopher Leonard, New York Times bestselling author of Kochland and The Lords of Easy Money

"Dana Mattioli’s The Everything War is a masterful expose of a corporate leviathan’s relentless drive for power. Her incisive writing and thorough reporting takes you behind a global juggernaut’s seemingly innocuous facade. You will never look at those little cardboard boxes on your doorstep the same way again."—Zeke Faux, author of Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall