The Everything War

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

By: Dana Mattioli

Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt, Dana Mattioli

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2024 Dana Mattioli (P)2024 Little, Brown & Company

Critic reviews

“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

Reads like a novel

I often joke that Amazon rules the world. Dana Mattioli engagingly tells the story that this is no joke. She described how Amazon began with an eye to avoiding taxes, and how it has grown and thrived with predatory practices. Most surprising was the fact that AWL is their major profit source. Great read. Fascinating’.

Drops knowledge, reads like a thriller

Buying and reviewing this on Audible, and yes in light of this first reading, the irony doesn't escape me. And I'm turning around to read it over again. It is at once a light read, very exciting, dense with good info. Not an easy achievement for an author, well done!

At first I thought "wow, harsh" thinking I was in for a more of an op-ed, but as the anecdotes and inner workings unfolded, I couldn't put this down. Dana Mattioli writes succinctly and without flair--the subject matter alone is enough to curl your hair.

Almost every anecdote in this book is informative, revelatory and cumulatively devastating to Amazon and its executives through the years. I am not deeply educated in politics or business or law, and after reading this I feel much more informed. I wasn't bogged down by the intricacies or jerked around by cheap psychological manipulation. It's just good old-fashioned reporting, and interesting, and I think an important addition to the library of anyone who likes to know what they're getting into. As a Prime member, I'm...uncomfortable. And that's good.

Trigger warning: there is an attempted suicide. If you're a fan of Harry Potter and bookstores, if you're an Amazon seller, if you shop at Trader Joe's, if you're a POC, LGBTQ+, if you drive for Uber and/or Lyft, if you're poorer than your parents, a Republican or a Democrat, you're gonna have some big feelings. But read this book anyway, read it BECAUSE it's going to change how you see the world.

As consumers (I hate that word) we have hard decisions to make, and it's already a world where those decisions are harder than they should be. But be informed. Read this book.