Jeff Bezos: the garage inventor who set up Amazon

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has made no secret of his desire to usurp Apple in the tablet market. And the new Kindle Fire has certainly got some pundits excited - is it time to snap up Amazon shares?

When the Amazon founder strolled on stage in New York last week for the carefully choreographed unveiling of the Kindle Fire, there was no mistaking the subject of his "barbed tribute", says the FT. Steve Jobs was a wizard at using such presentations to stir the masses. "This time, it was Bezos who bewitched the geeks." By the time he'd finished, most in the room were singing from his hymn sheet: convinced that this was the first serious product to challenge the dominance of the iPad.

Outwardly at least, Bezos is very different in style from Jobs, says Businessweek. A married father of four, he's famous for his "explosive" laugh. One former colleague remembers Bezos fondly as "a cutie pie". But, as she observes, he also possesses an other-worldly quality. "Imagine how far humans would get if we didn't have hang ups. Well, that's Jeff. He does not have the usual frailties, which makes him a bit cold, almost robotic."

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