Bezos: From Person of the Year to a "Chuckling Maniac"
Last winter must seem like a long time ago for Jeff Bezos. Back then, Time magazine crowned him "Person of the Year" and the rest of the press followed suit, shining its light on the anointed one. Now he must wonder who stuck the "kick me" sign on his back.
Red Herring branded Amazon.com its Loser of the Week after its stock dropped 25 percent to close at $30, "a price it hasn't seen since November 1998." Across the pond, a BBC News headline condemned Amazon as "terrible" over a story summarizing an interview between Red Herring editor Jason Pontin and Bezos. In it, Pontin called Bezos "infuriatingly evasive" and "a chuckling maniac." He suggested that the folks at Amazon were living in a fantasy world, from which they'd never be able to deliver on the financial promises that have allowed the company to raise $2.9 billion since 1997.
Upside Today wasn't waiting around to watch the stock fall any lower. Columnist Ali Asadullah charged Bezos with one count of "failing to find a way to profitability." Asadullah called Amazon "nothin' more than a bunch [sic] 'woulda, coulda, shoulda'" and asked readers to vote on Bezos' guilt. As of late Sunday night, the tally was running three to one against the person of the year. - David Sims
Amazon Condemned as 'Terrible' http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_868000/868610.stm
On Trial: Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos http://www.upside.com/On_Trial/398b02090.html
Loser of the Week: Amazon.com http://www.redherring.com/companies/index.html