Built to Last

Jim Collins and Jerry Porras spent six years studying visionary companies that thrived across generations, then paired each with a rival to find what set the enduring ones apart. Their answer had less to do with charismatic leaders or brilliant products than with core ideology, relentless self-improvement, and a culture that outlasts any individual. A foundational text of modern management, it helped shape Amazon’s own long-term thinking. Jeff Bezos has named it among his formative business reads.