.png){kind=logo}
Jeff Bezos says Amazon employees should not celebrate the company’s size after it reached a major revenue milestone. Amazon now ranks first on the Fortune Global 500, ending Walmart’s decade at the top.
Speaking from his original door-slab desk, Bezos shifted attention from scale to customer service. “I don’t want us to take pride in being big,” he said. “I want us to take pride in servicing customers.”
Amazon’s top ranking reflects revenue across retail, cloud computing, advertising, subscriptions and other services. Fortune also valued the company near $2.6 trillion when it published its report in July.
Bezos said the result did not completely surprise him. However, he presented growth as the result of customer service rather than a separate target. Amazon’s network now serves shoppers, sellers, businesses and governments across many global markets.
The founder used ‘customer obsession’ repeatedly during the interview. He also drew a line between watching customers and watching rivals. In his view, companies may claim a customer focus while tracking competitors.
Bezos stepped down as chief executive in 2021 and now serves as executive chair. Andy Jassy leads operations, but Bezos still shapes Amazon’s long-term business principles and investment plans.
Amazon spent $131 billion on capital projects in 2025. The company expects that figure to reach about $200 billion in 2026, mainly for cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Much of that spending supports Amazon Web Services, data centers and custom chips. Bezos sees the silicon business as another core pillar beside Marketplace, Prime and AWS. Amazon plans to launch its Trainium4 chip next year.
Meanwhile, Amazon has committed up to $25 billion to Anthropic. The AI company plans to purchase more than $100 billion in Amazon cloud services under their relationship.
Jassy said AWS’s AI revenue run rate passed $15 billion within three years. That pace reached about 260 times AWS’s own revenue run rate at the same stage.
Amazon expects AI tools to change shopping, cloud services and other customer products. Still, the company faces strong competition from other technology groups building models, chips and data centers.
Amazon’s scale has also drawn attention from regulators and workers. The company has cut nearly 30,000 corporate jobs during the past year, according to Fortune’s reporting.
Warehouse employees have also pushed for union representation and changes to working conditions. Amazon says it has invested billions of dollars in worker safety, training and site improvements.
In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. The current case includes 18 state attorneys general and Puerto Rico after later changes.
The regulators accuse Amazon of using unfair practices to protect monopoly power in online retail markets. Amazon has denied wrongdoing and challenged the claims. A federal trial is set for March 2027.
Bezos also identified internal risks that could weaken Amazon over time. He cited reduced customer focus, slower invention and short-term decision-making as threats to future performance.
Bezos said customers generally will not ask Amazon for slower delivery, higher prices or less product choice. He sees speed and price as reliable guides for long-term investment decisions.
Also Read: Jeff Bezos' New AI Mission as Prometheus CEO: Engineering The Physical World At Scale
