Digital technology has given rise, like the innovations of yesteryear, to almost Homeric sagas and extraordinary characters that fascinate or intrigue. Among these is Jeff Bezos. The writer Luc Mary, a historian by training, whose research themes are eclectic since his work speaks of the rout of the Romans against the Germans under Augustus, the assassination of President Kennedy or the evolution of the Milky Way, delivered with Jeff Bezos, from Amazon to the conquest of spacea fairly exhaustive portrait of one of the most emblematic contemporary entrepreneurs.
The author obviously discusses the childhood of Jeff Bezos, raised by his mother’s Cuban husband after the hasty departure of a downgraded father, evokes his beginnings in the world of start-ups, recalls the construction of his success as a online bookseller. Striving to better understand his personality, he insists on his cold and even brutal way of managing his businesses and on the type of relationship he forges with those around him, a mixture of boorishness, cynicism and shyness. About his social behavior, the book tells a now famous anecdote about his grandmother. During a car trip, Jeff Bezos asks her to quit smoking in such violent terms that she starts crying. His grandfather then lectures him by telling him that it is easier to be intelligent than to be nice and that he will therefore have to make efforts to avoid unnecessarily hurting his loved ones. As it was Jeff Bezos who reported this story himself, Luc Mary sees in it the symbol of a form of guilt constantly pushing him to surpass himself, hoping to be admired if not loved.
The originality of the book is to highlight Bezos’ dreams of space conquest. His need to distinguish himself would have fueled his desire to get into this field, where his company Blue Origin is in direct competition with SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk. The merit of the book resides first of all in its fluid and pleasant style, marked by a subtle handling of humour. He then assumes the bias of making the conquest of space a particularly telling revealer of the personality of Bezos. Finally, he strives to maintain a genuine concern for moderation and honesty which means that the inventor of Amazon is presented neither as a monster nor as a genius.
In the end, we draw from reading this text the conclusion that one of the strengths of this boss is his ability to never give up. Adversity and failure increase his determination, so much so that he has always known how to bounce back.
Jeff Bezos, from Amazon to the conquest of spaceby Luc Mary, Archipel editions, 231 p., €20.
The rating of L’Express: 5/5