Source: AMZN Letter to shareholders
Published: April 2008

The Introduction of Kindle

Circulated: May 7, 2020

“November 19, 2007, was a special day. After three years of work, we introduced Amazon Kindle to our customers. We did not expect the level of demand that actually materialized. We sold out in the first 5 1/2 hours, and our supply chain and manufacturing teams have had to scramble to increase production capacity.

At the beginning of our design process, we identified what we believe is the book’s most important feature. It disappears. When you read a book, you don’t notice the paper and the ink and the glue and the stitching. All of that dissolves, and what remains is the author’s world.”

- Jeff Bezos