Glenn, betcha Bezos can't flip burgers like our former Icon burger flipper can:O)
>16 Jul 15:52
By Ross Snel
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Jeff Bezos isn't shy when it comes to publicity
opportunities.
The Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) chief executive has been a co-host on CNBC and
served as a tour guide for reporters visiting the company's headquarters.
Now Bezos is giving George Foreman a little competition.
Monday found him sporting a floppy chef's hat, bright red apron and chef's
clogs and manning the backyard barbecue at B Bar, a hip watering hole in
Manhattan's East Village.
A former Time Magazine man of the year, Bezos had showed up to receive a
Weber propane grill from Modern Humorist as thanks for contributions the comedy
site has received from the Amazon Honor System, which allows visitors to
Amazon's site to make donations to other Web sites with a single mouse click.
Bezos was milking it for all it was worth, smiling for the television
cameras, displaying his burger-flipping skills, trading jokes with Modern
Humorist founder John Aboud and unleashing his high-decibel laugh on the crowd.
A paper-plate affixed to the deluxe Weber grill read, "No Mad Cow Disease."
Bezos pointed to another grill, where a cook was preparing the bulk of the
event's food, and said, "The grill over there is the one that has Mad Cow
Disease."
He added that Mad Cow "isn't so bad, because it has a 15-year incubation
period."
Bezos and Aboud then shouted pleas at the crowd for a volunteer to sample
Bezos' cooking.
A TV producer stepped forward. After taking a bite of the burger, she
described it as fabulous.
Later, Aboud and his pals at Modern Humorist paid homage to the famous Bezos
guffaw by challenging several standup comedians to take the stage and make
Bezos laugh.
Mike Birbiglia was first out of the gate, and warmed up with a friendly roast
of Bezos.
"This grill is propane," he said, pointing to the one Bezos was using. "Yours
burns hundred-dollar bills."
That one yielded a burst of laughter from the Amazon CEO.
As is often the case with Bezos appearances, however, the executive avoided
offering new details about Amazon's finances.
The Seattle online retailing giant, which is under pressure to turn profits,
plans to report second-quarter results next Monday. Bezos declined to comment
on analysts' estimates or give new guidance.
When asked why Amazon hadn't made a preannouncement about its second quarter,
as it did for the first, Bill Curry, an Amazon public relations director, said
there was "no reason this time." He added that the company tends to provide an
early peek into its first quarter because of all the speculation based on how
Amazon will perform in the wake of the busy holiday season.
On average, analysts expect Amazon to report a pro forma loss of 22 cents a
share on revenue of $678 million, according to Thomson Financial/First Call.
Bezos declined to comment on analysts' estimates for the quarter or offer
fresh guidance.
He also declined to comment on whether Amazon was close to signing new
partnerships with brick-and-mortar companies like the one it has with Borders
Group Inc. (BGP). He reiterated his company's general commitment to striking
more of those deals, however.
Instead, Monday's focus was the burgers that were sizzling on his grill and
the Amazon Honor System.
Bezos read testimonials from smaller dot-coms such as humor site Goats.com
that have received cash from the program.
He said the contributions had proven to be lifesavers for some sites that
have watched online ad revenue shrink or disappear.
Later, Bezos acknowledged Amazon does receive a 15% cut of the donations.
-Ross Snel, Dow Jones Newswires |
