Jeff Bezos and Extraordinary Opportunities
The richest man in the world used serendipity, practical intelligence, and grit to become a success.
By Matt Nordby | Biokinetics Major
Jeff Bezos stared at the door that represented the life he was leaving behind. His multi-million dollar job. His secure position as a Senior Vice President for a New York investment firm. All of it gone, just because of one choice. Too late to go back now. He pushed open the door, carrying a box full of old button-up shirts, slacks, and last-minute belongings thrown on top. With a grunt he dropped it on the ground and looked at the start of a soon-to-be-large pile of boxes. Odds were this idea would fail. He put his own savings and that of his parents on the line, knowing it would likely be lost in a matter of months. But he didn’t let that stop him (Robinson 37).
Twenty-four years later, Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world (Kroll, Dolan). He has created one of the largest online success stories: a company that changed the way online business was done so much that it takes up over a trillion dollars in the market share (Rapier). Leading up to 2019, he bought out countless other companies, including Whole Foods and the Washington Post, and founded more companies himself, such as Blue Origin. Because of Bezos, when people hear the word Amazon, they think of the company more often than the great South American river (Amazon’s Retail Revolution).
Bezos made it to such a position through a culmination of his own hard work, a series of opportunities, and a childhood of concerted cultivation that made him an outlier. In the words of Malcolm Gladwell, a columnist for The New Yorker and bestselling author of Outliers: The Story of Success, “People don’t rise from nothing. … They are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities … that allowed them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot” (Gladwell 19). The richest man in the world is no exception. Jeff Bezos used the Gladwellian traits of having extraordinary opportunities, working with grit, and using his practical intelligence to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs this world has ever seen.
Jeff Bezos spent much of his time at his current job, D.E. Shaw, looking at statistics. As a hedge fund manager, that was simply what he did. He looked at data, analyzed trends, and from there decided on the best investment options. The president of the company had Bezos looking into the internet for potential commerce thanks to his computer science degree in college. So much of this is monotonous, Bezos thought to himself. But then something caught his eye, an outlier within the numbers. Is that true? he wondered, Is the internet really growing at an annual rate of 2,300 percent? It was an opportunity that was too good to be true (Robinson 35).
Though this statistic was startling and certainly a motivator for becoming an internet entrepreneur, Bezos nearly didn’t jump at the chance. Only after a walk with his boss, David Shaw, was he finally convinced to move on from his already successful career and risk it all for this opportunity. Bezos, a man with knowledge, drive and intelligence, has access to this information because he was at a hedge fund job that just so happened to be looking into the potential of the internet. He found himself in the perfect time, place and position to create something new and marketable.
Bill Gates, the second richest man in the world, also had an extraordinary opportunity that thoroughly set him up to found his own astonishingly successful computer company. Gates attended a private school for some of Seattle’s richest, and, through donations, the school was able to afford a computer and start a club. Today, this isn’t anything surprising. However, this happened in 1968, a time in which “most colleges didn’t have computer clubs” (Gladwell 51). Bill was hooked, and got to spend time learning programming in eighth grade, something that ended up convincing other companies to give him more computer time in exchange for testing their own software. He even lived in walking distance of the University of Washington’s supercomputer and was allowed to it, despite him not attending the school. His experience snowballed. When Gates dropped out of Harvard to start his own company, he had thousands of hours of practice and was as experienced as some of the most brilliant programmers out there (Gladwell 55).
In Outliers, Gladwell states, “Lucky breaks don’t seem like the exception with software billionaires and rock bands and star athletes. They seem like the rule” (Gladwell 56). Though Bezos was not part of a rock band, a star athlete, or a software billionaire, the principle remains the same: many of the successful have a lucky break or extraordinary opportunity that led to their successes. Bezos understands this concept, and knows that much of what contributed to his success was a series of lucky breaks and extraordinary opportunities. He admitted this himself on his own Twitter account, writing “I was lucky to be exposed to tech and coding at a young age. Inspired a lifelong love of invention” (“Yep. That’s Me…”). Had Bezos not been given the opportunities that led him to where he is today, it is reasonable to assume that Amazon, Bezos’ crowning success, would never have been founded.
Bezos breathed deep and wiped the thick beads of sweat from his brow. In the basement of his new home, he and a handful of employees hastily placed books in boxes and slapped some tape over the top into the early hours of the morning. His knees ached from leaning on the cold concrete floor. His back gnawed at him from being hunched over for hours. It was the only way they could make the quota of books they needed to ship. For Amazon to become the multi-billion company it is today, Bezos had to give his all to keep the business afloat (Marks).
In 2007, a group of researchers conducted a study on prominent leaders in every career field. Results were as expected- certain traits were useful to certain career paths, but unnecessary for others; for example, emotional intelligence may be helpful for a career in patient care, but not for independent research. However, there are a few traits that can be essential to success in any career path, regardless of what is done. According to Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, grit can be defined as perseverance and passion for long term goals (“Grit: Perseverance…”). It means working through any obstacle, keeping one’s eyes on their goals, and continuing with career aspirations regardless of success rate. This is the distinguishing factor: “Gritty individual[s] not only finish… tasks at hand but pursue… a given aim over years” (Duckworth et al.). In business, a “Big Five” model is commonly used to predict success based off of personality traits; however, this was found to be not nearly as effective if the subject lacks grit (Rode et al.). This key trait of dedication to the long term has correlated with higher rates of success far more than any of the Big Five traits alone, and happens to be one of the personality traits Bezos exhibits.
Though Bezos wouldn’t have been able to become as successful as he is today without the opportunities he was given, it is impossible to deny that his hard work contributed to his success. From the very start of Amazon, Bezos was always forward thinking, coming up with the next big idea and thinking years ahead in terms of products and strategies. Recently, he stated that Amazon would not be guided by short term reviews, but instead would focus on a “long term marketing strategy” (Pressfarm Staff). Though Amazon had its ups and downs, Bezos was confident in its ability to succeed and overcome any obstacles that came before it. The 2008 stock market crash hit thousands of businesses hard, Amazon included. It was the first time that Bezos ever had to lay anyone off (Amazon’s Retail Revolution). Despite this, Bezos persevered. He knew that Amazon could emerge strong despite the economic hardships, and he continued to plan ahead for future products. From a young age, he was raised to put high value on self reliance, and he now views hard work as one of the keys to Amazon’s success (Huddleston; Summit). If Bezos didn’t have the grit to start a company, push through the difficulties he confronted, or continually think forward to the future, Amazon would not be the household name that it is now.
Hands in his pockets, Jeff Bezos strolled down the crumbled asphalt path of Central Park with his boss, David Shaw. “I noticed something in the data the other day” he remarked to Shaw, “The internet is growing at 2,300% annually.” Shaw, also a computer scientist, took a moment to think and eventually responded by saying, “That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn’t already have a good job” (Bezos, “What Matters…” 14:43). With that response, Bezos decided to take the leap, risk it all, and become that someone who didn’t have a good job for a time. He resigned, designed his own business plan for Amazon, and moved to Seattle, leaving behind almost all of his family and jumping into the unknown.
Intelligence has always been associated with success, as it is thought to be what determines our performance and ability to adapt to our surroundings (Neisser et al.). However, what has recently become a larger development in research is the existence of multiple types of intelligence. Robert J. Sternberg, a leading psychological researcher, has shown that there is a difference between academic intelligence and practical intelligence. He states that “practical intelligence is defined as the ability that individuals use to find a more optimal fit between themselves and the demands of the environment through adapting to the environment, shaping (or modifying) the environment, or selecting a new environment in the pursuit of personally-valued goals” (Sternberg, Hedlund). This type of intelligence demonstrates the ability of one to succeed in all aspects of life, both in day to day life as well as in one’s occupation. Practical intelligence parallels very closely with g, or general cognitive ability, which has been considered a basis for predicting learning and performance at jobs (Sternberg, Hedlund). Bezos’ prodigious success clearly points to high practical intelligence and general cognitive ability.
The statistic itself was an outlier. Through this, he was able to select a new environment in pursuit of a personally valued goal.
Bezos demonstrates his ability to optimally fit in his environment in numerous ways. The first would be acting on an internet statistic of exponential growth that “doesn’t happen outside of petri dishes” (Laundrum 284). The statistic itself was an outlier. Through this, he was able to select a new environment in pursuit of a personally valued goal. Amazon wouldn’t have happened had Bezos not used his intelligence to pursue such an opportunity. A second example comes from the 14 leadership principles of Amazon: customer obsession. In an economy full of companies that are constantly focusing on battling with each other, cutting prices, running cutthroat ads, and more, Bezos took a different approach to building Amazon. Instead of focusing on beating others, he focused on building customer loyalty. He believes in the power of spoken word; customers will spread word of the company if they are satisfied with its service and products (Amazon’s Retail Revolution). Though this strategy wasn’t commonly seen in the business world, it worked. Amazon continued to grow and expand, and has a large amount of regular customers.
The list of ways that Bezos grew Amazon in unorthodox ways goes on. Rapid expansion and Bezos’ focus on “wandering,” — a term meaning to take time, brainstorm ideas, and follow one’s gut, even at the expense of business efficiency- are two practices of Bezos’ (Bezos, “Letter to Shareholders”). Neither of these are considered to be the best of ideas. Rapid expansion offers high rewards, but is also incredibly risky and can lead to losing everything that was previously gained. Regarding wandering, Bezos himself has admitted that it decreases efficiency and isn’t commonly used in business world. Yet, he knew the market he was working with and was able to take full advantage of rapid expansion as well as come up with some of Amazon’s most helpful technology through wandering (Bezos, “Letter to Shareholders”; Robinson 45). Bezos used his practical intelligence to develop Amazon in ways foreign to the business world at the time. Despite that, what he did worked on unprecedented levels, making Amazon one of the most valuable companies in the world.
An 18-year-old Jeff Bezos stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. He was moving on from one stage of his life at Palmetto high school and entering an even larger one at Princeton University. In his speech, he let the audience know of some of his plans for the future: “I plan to build space hotels, amusement parks, yachts and colonies for two or three million people orbiting around the earth” (Yanez). A few classmates smirked and rolled their eyes. Parents listened out of respect but immediately wrote him off. Bezos was serious; even at his high school graduation he had plans to make the world a better place. Regardless of the doubt so many had, there were a few who believed that Bezos was something special. Those people should be proud. Thirty-seven years later he has unveiled plans to send people to the moon with his own company’s fully functional lunar lander by 2024 (Rubin).
Just about everything that Bezos has set his mind to, he accomplished. Gladwell argues that “success is not a random act. It arises out of a predictable and powerful set of circumstances and opportunities” (Gladwell 155). The same applies to Bezos. His practical intelligence allowed him to see opportunities that no one else did and act on them. His grit allowed him to keep pursuing those opportunities even when faced with daunting odds and hard conditions. And finally, those extraordinary opportunities, with a little bit of luck, were able to flourish into the mogul of success that Bezos stands as today.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Nordby, a sophomore at Bethel University, is from Maplewood, MN. He seeks a job scribing at a hospital to help him realize his dream of becoming a physician’s assistant. Nordby likes sunshine, all things bacon, and getting as much sleep as he can get.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
Use those databases. The inclusion of articles by people with doctorates, the tailorable parameters they offer, and the AND/OR/NOT tools to filter the results will get you the stuff that Google can’t.
Stop being so worried about speaking in front of people. You don’t mess up speaking to your friends, why would you mess up now?
Sometimes what one may perceive as disadvantages happen to be the things that help them out the most. A disadvantage may us put us in a form of law that isn’t commonly practiced, help us to learn information way better than most people could, or desensitize us to the explosive shells going off all around us.
Use your friends as resources. Each and every one of them has a different voice, different passions, and is likely more than willing to help you.
Nothing motivates you like being up until 3 A.M. for the third night in a row, with caffeine running through your veins and your eyes starting to glaze over.
Stories are what make a piece engaging. A piece with detail about how your subject was on a television show, proved his intelligence in front of millions, and calculated the risks before withdrawing with $250,000 is much more enjoyable than simply saying “Chris Langan is the smartest man in the world.”
There are always two sides to any issue. Obviously, multiple spaghetti flavors are better than just a few because it allows the individual to choose exactly what they want, to consistently be able to try new things, and to find out that they like Prego three cheese pasta sauce over traditional.
Everything you know about success is likely wrong. Bezos only made it with the opportunity to start a new career at the perfect time, the intelligence to direct his business in a unique way, and grit to see it through.
It’s always better to go overboard describing a setting or person than to weakly and vaguely mention it. “I fear sleeping through my alarm because I stayed up until 6 a.m. working on identifying unknown compounds using IR, proton NMR, 13C NMR, and GCMS for an organic chemistry lab due later that day” sounds better than “I fear oversleeping.”
Mouth stuffed full of white bread, chipotle mayo, ham, salami, provolone, tomato, and lettuce, I listen to Scott as he asks another victim what time it is. The response “uhh… 2:05?” is immediately shot down by “No. It’s sharing time.”
(Editors note: This paper was written as part of a GES160 Inquiry Seminar class at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN).
