Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

AMZN is well known for paying out its profits to shareholders?

I think what shareholders value is a little deeper than woo “AWS appears profitable”!




If AWS wasn't profitable, AMZN would not be able to grow, and its share price would immediately fly off a cliff. But you know this already. You just want to argue.


> If AWS wasn't profitable, AMZN would not be able to grow

Amazon wasn't even profitable until 10 years after its founding. So that's demonstrably incorrect.

BTW, the thesis that "if a business isn't profitable, it wouldn't be able to grow" flies in the face of hundreds of successful venture capital businesses funded by the yCombinator (founder of Hacker News) and many other venture capitals funds. Profitability is one variable in a very complex mix.

I personally like the idea of bootstrapping, which does require profitability, but that's not the only way to successfully grow a business. You can also grow a business using debt, or by using equity.




Consider applying for YC's Spring batch! Applications are open till Feb 11.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: