The Everything War: Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power By Dana Mattioli

The Everything War by Wall Street Journal veteran Mattioli is a highly anticipated and explosive exposé on Amazon’s relentless pursuit of global domination. Lauded as a must-read by Foreign Policy, Globe and Mail, Publishers Weekly, and the Next Big Idea Club, this book delves into Amazon’s strategic greed and its profound impact on the world of business and beyond.

In 2017, Lina Khan’s landmark paper labeled Amazon a monopoly, drawing parallels to the Standard Oil empire of the past. Unlike Rockefeller’s empire, however, Amazon had evaded significant scrutiny despite its massive growth and market influence. The company’s obsession with customer satisfaction masked its aggressive tactics to maintain dominance. Khan’s critique ignited a fire in Washington, culminating in the 2023 FTC lawsuit—a potential landmark antitrust case against Amazon.

Mattioli provides a riveting and detailed account of Amazon’s rise, based on extensive interviews with Amazon insiders, competitors, and small business owners dependent on its marketplace. He reveals how Amazon’s strategy involved not only outcompeting rivals but also reshaping entire industries, from retail to cloud computing through AWS. The book uncovers how Amazon’s practices have included exploiting partners, avoiding taxes, and leveraging proprietary data to outmaneuver sellers.

The Everything War is a critical examination of Amazon’s unchecked power and its broad impact on the global economy. Mattioli’s investigation offers a definitive look at how Amazon’s aggressive strategies have redefined corporate power and what the ongoing antitrust case signifies for the future of business.