Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world today. But things could have turned out very differently. If he had been cleverer as a physicist, the company probably wouldn’t exist today. And Microsoft founder Bill Gates could have given Bezos a tip to help him shine as a researcher.
What does Jeff Bezos have to do with quantum physics? Long before Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, he studied electrical engineering and computer science at Princeton University. He was drawn to quantum physics, a highly complex subfield of physics, and probably studied it to find his academic future – but his failure at one problem convinced him to take a different path in life.
Decades later, Bezos is, among other things, responsible for his company’s successful film division, one of the successful products being the new Fallout series. We have a trailer for you here:
The official trailer for the Fallout series on Amazon in German
More videos
A historic day in the life of Jeff Bezos
Why did Jeff Bezos fail? Although Bezos eventually graduated with top marks, one episode forced him to admit that he did not have what it takes to become a leading figure in theoretical physics. He described this at an event at the Economic Club of Washington.
Bezos and a fellow student sat for hours in front of a partial differential equation, but they couldn’t find a solution. They asked one of the best physics students at the university for help. Bezos had forgotten the name by now, but he still remembered his origins: Sri Lanka.
Did the physicist solve the problem? Yes, and within a few seconds. Bezos was amazed and wanted to know how that could be. The answer was simple: the person asked had dealt with a similar question in the past and was able to transfer the solution.
What did Jeff Bezos learn from this? Although he was a good student, his ambition to become a theoretical physicist was hopeless. He must have experienced a truly momentous day.
Instead, his career took him into the private sector and ultimately to the top of one of the most powerful corporations in human history, Amazon. And it led him to immense wealth.
Who is the genius? The brilliant physicist recognized himself in the anecdote. The person in question is Dr. Yasantha Rajakarunanayake, a top researcher living in the western United States, including in the field of AI. When he read Bezos’s story, he posted on X (formerly Twitter) – and came to the same conclusion: If the story had not happened, Amazon would not exist today.
Meanwhile, there is another person whose tips would have changed Bezos and thus all of our lives: Bill Gates.
If Bezos had asked Bill Gates for advice…
What does Bill Gates have to do with it? Nothing exactly, but some time ago the Microsoft founder listed some of the principles he uses to tackle problems, as you can read here in translation from our colleagues at Xataka. And one of them would have helped the young Jeff Bezos to quickly find a solution:
Who has been dealing with this problem for a long time? And what can we learn from them?
Bill Gates, via Xataka
Ultimately, Jeff Bezos decided to seek help, but he struggled for a long time to find a completely new solution himself. Even though he could have guessed that a possible solution was just a few rooms away. If he had been in his place, Bill Gates might have stayed in research on his way to becoming a physicist – but that is ultimately pure speculation.
If, after this interesting anecdote about a formative day in the life of Jeff Bezos, you are interested in something that also inspires the Amazon founder, we have something for you:
The space company Blue Origin may seem more like a hobby project of Bezos’s compared to Amazon, but it does show one thing: Like Elon Musk, he is drawn to the stars. Here’s a deep dive into a possible nova that is set to happen this year – and you might be able to see it with your naked eyes!