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Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: H James Morris who wrote (110160)	10/11/2000 7:25:55 AM
From: Frederick Smart	Respond to of 164684

Tear Down and Bust Up The Amazon Dam.... >>In our view, Amazon could pursue several strategies to improve its profit potential. We believe it can maintain a broad product offering but with more of a specialty focus in some categories. In many areas, we believe Amazon could effectively outsource certain risks, a la its Toysrus.com agreement. It also appears to us that it has yet to demonstrate a sustainable business model surrounding the Amazon Commerce Network. We have long contended that Amazon could evolve into an online retail portal and rent out its valuable real estate. Management's lack of guidance regarding plans for ACN concerns us. It would take progress on one or more of these fronts to make us more optimistic about the company's long-term outlook. In the near term, investors are likely to stay focused on Amazon's operating performance during the upcoming holiday quarter. Once holiday euphoria is behind us, we believe the concerns raised by our study could become increasingly critical since Amazon's stock value is ultimately based on the company's long-term profit potential. Thus, we believe investors should be prepared for volatility for the extended period it takes Amazon to prove out its business model>> Amazon has been an interesting learning experience for the entire online world. Here's the conclusion which seems to be shaping up: Trust dams don't work in a world that's being transformed by service models. Trust dams??? Building "trust dams" is the same thing as branding. But trust dams represent, by there very nature, friction. And since the internet's fundamental energy comes from the "freeing up" of everything - data, information, limits, restrictions, friction, etc. - our argument is that Amazon's true model is individually focused and service-centric, but here's the catch: it's supposed to be a river, not a dam. Damming and branding reveals the lie - a hidden agenda - behind Amazon's model. Amazon is a BUSINESS model trying deparately to survive in an environment - the internet - that's destroying BUSINESS models. The REAL Internet is being fueled by SERVICE models from four driving forces that begin and end with INDIVIDUALS: connectivity communication collaboration cooperation I believe we are getting closer to finally seeing the break-up of the Amazon Dam. Bezos should STOP trying to gather INDIVIDUAL data and be a leader in the consumer security/privacy/protection movement. He's been gathering data and claiming ownership over this data. This is at the root of all business models. "Owning the data" is synonymous as "owning the customer." This is the Old View of the world. Is a classic "closed" pyramid. Amazon could become THE pioneer in "open source" distribution services for goods, products and services. All they need to do is tear down the dam brand, END - stop COLD - the gathering of ALL personal/private individual data and start to truly unleash the power of the Amazon River as a logistical product/platform neutral "carriers carrier." What we're advocating is "inverting" Amazon's business model into a pure, open, service model. And this begins and ends with ONE simple step: TEARING DOWN THE DAM. Then.... - open up Amazon's internal pricing datastore to ALL comers - provide open APIs - encourage any/all everywhere/anywhere/anytime connectivity Jeff Bezos came from the securities industry. I interviewed with him back in the early-mid 90's. He should understand the power of an "open sourced" SIAC - Securities Industry Automation Corporation - which disseminates securities pricing worldwide but is still owned/controlled by the NYSE. EBay is a closed model. Amazon's current configuration is a closed model. Open up the model. Invite ANY/ALL comers. Get out of the end customer acquisition/service retention game. Turn this over to networks, communities, associations, and INDIVIDUALS. Amazon decides right here and now to completely give-up and lose control over acquiring/maintaining individual data/information. Even more powerfully, This "New" Amazon becomes a pioneer in developing ways of helping INDIVIDUALS secure, lockdown and manage their OWN personal/private data/information/profiles. This New Amazon embraces the world of Net Services. It moves away from the Old "they gotta come to us/me" power/control hidden agendas that fuel/support BUSINESS models which are dying. It moves toward and vigorously embraces this connect/communicate/collaborate/cooperate "new" world which will be controlled by INDIVIDUALS - not corporations. Yea, yea, this all sounds so wacky, crazy and flaky. But get used to it. If Amazon remains in denial about the failure of business models in this transformative world of SERVICE energy which is eliminating friction, it will eventually fade into becoming the biggest NOT.COM bomb. The true "DOT" in .com begins and ends with ONE thing: the INDIVIDUAL. Invert the pyramid Jeff. Put Amazon at the bottom of an inverted pyramid. And place EVERYONE above Amazon - openly help and serve EVERY INDIVIDUAL power their own virtual logistical service/distribution networks. The net is NOT about "going anywhere" - it's about INDIVIDUALS helping and serving others. It's about everything being totally and completely transparent and open. It's about ZERO/NO hidden agendas. It's about SERVICE. It's NOT about BUSINESS. The word "business" is dying folks. Get used to it. The world is being transformed into a SERVICE model which is powered by INDIVIDUALS helping and serving others. It's NOT about companies/governments/platforms/networks getting in the way. It's all about everyone getting to know themseves in ways that affirm their unlimited individual power to help and serve others. And this sounds completely illogical and crazy. But get used to it. Just like my beloved Northwestern Wildcats. They WILL win the Rose Bowl. Get used to it. The REAL Internet is just getting started. The NOT.COM charade is winding down. Peace. GO!!