Analysis: Bezos leaves behind a company that's created value but has also triggered a national reckoning

In 1997, the year Amazon became a publicly traded company, CEO Jeff Bezos promised investors they would be in for a journey. Amazon would not chase short-term profits, he warned in a letter to shareholders. It would focus "relentlessly" on customers. It would act with urgency but prioritize long-term investments. And it would run a lean culture that minimized costs and cut waste.