Amazon.com 2005 Annual Report Download - page 16

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 16 of the 2005 Amazon.com annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 100

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100

Jeffrey A. Wilke. Mr. Wilke has served as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Operations since January
2002. From October 2000 until January 2002, Mr. Wilke was Senior Vice President, Operations, and prior to that
he had been Vice President and General Manager, Operations, since joining Amazon.com in September 1999.
Prior to joining Amazon.com, Mr. Wilke was Vice President and General Manager of the Pharmaceutical Fine
Chemicals unit at Allied Signal.
L. Michelle Wilson. Ms. Wilson has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary
since June 2003. She served as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, General Counsel, and Secretary from
March 2001 until June 2003, and as Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary from July 1999 until March
2001. Prior to joining Amazon.com, Ms. Wilson was a partner in the law firm of Perkins Coie LLP.
Board of Directors
Name Age Position
Jeffrey P. Bezos .............. 42 President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board
Tom A. Alberg ............... 66 Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group
John Seely Brown ............. 65 Chief Scientist of Xerox Corporation (retired) and Visiting Scholar at
the Annenberg Center for Communication at the University of
Southern California
L. John Doerr ................ 54 General Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
William B. Gordon ............ 56 Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Electronic
Arts, Inc.
Myrtle S. Potter ............... 47 Consultant, Myrtle Potter Consulting, LLC
Thomas O. Ryder ............. 61 Chairman, Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
Patricia Q. Stonesifer .......... 49 Chief Executive Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following risk factors and other information included in this Annual Report should be carefully
considered. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and
uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business
operations. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows
could be materially adversely affected.
We Face Intense Competition
The market segments in which we compete are rapidly evolving and intensely competitive, and we have
many competitors in different industries, including both the retail and e-commerce services industries.
Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories, larger customer bases,
greater brand recognition, and significantly greater financial, marketing, and other resources than we have. They
may be able to secure merchandise from vendors on more favorable terms and may be able to adopt more
aggressive pricing policies. Competitors in both the retail and e-commerce services industries also may be able to
devote more resources to technology development, fulfillment, and marketing than we do.
Competition in the e-commerce channel may intensify. Other companies in the retail and e-commerce
service industries may enter into business combinations or alliances that strengthen their competitive positions.
As various Internet market segments obtain large, loyal customer bases, participants in those segments may
expand into the market segments in which we operate. In addition, new and expanded Web technologies,
including search, web services, and digital, may further intensify the competitive nature of online retail and
e-commerce services. The nature of the Internet as an electronic marketplace facilitates competitive entry and
comparison shopping and renders it inherently more competitive than conventional retailing formats. This
increased competition may reduce our sales, operating profits, or both.
8