A critically-acclaimed account of how Jeff Bezos set up and grew Amazon has been given a one-star review by the founder’s wife.
MacKenzie Bezos accused Bloomberg Businessweek writer Brad Stone of bias and inaccuracies in his book about the rise of the online retail giant, The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon.
The Times called it a "masterclass in deeply researched investigative financial journalism" but Mrs Bezos wrote an Amazon customer review claiming she found "way too many inaccuracies, and unfortunately that casts doubt over every episode in the book."
In her review, Mrs Bezos, an author herself, additionally wrote: "The book is also full of techniques which stretch the boundaries of non-fiction," and that she "would caution readers to take note of the weak rhetorical devices used to make it sound like these quotes reflect daily life at Amazon."
But Stone hit back at her accusations of inaccuracies, writing on Bloomberg Businessweek that he spoke to more than 300 people, including both current and ex-employees of the company.
"They gave generously of their time, memories, and documents to help me fill in the gaps in Amazon’s history that, as my sources pointed out, were sometimes left intentionally," he countered.
"If they point to errors, I’ll gladly correct them. But I’d also proudly note that no one has taken issue with the major revelations in my book."
He owned up to being drawn to points of tension, "those moments in which character is forged and revealed." He said Mrs Bezos believes the company was defined by "countless moments of dull harmony", a viewpoint he does not share.
The book has an average rating of 3.5 stars on Amazon, from a total of eight customer reviews.
