The Everything War by Dana Mattioli Summary

The Everything War exposes Amazon’s aggressive tactics to dominate global markets, detailing its anti-competitive strategies, data exploitation, and manipulation of third-party sellers. Dana Mattioli, a Pulitzer-finalist journalist, investigates Amazon’s rise to power, its evasion of taxes, and the FTC’s landmark antitrust lawsuit against the company. The book draws parallels to historic monopolies like Standard Oil, arguing for regulatory intervention.

Business leaders, policymakers, and consumers interested in corporate power dynamics will find this book critical. It appeals to those studying antitrust issues, tech industry ethics, or Amazon’s business practices. Mattioli’s investigative rigor makes it a vital resource for journalists and academics analyzing modern monopolies.

Yes. Praised as "investigative journalism at its finest" (Publishers Weekly), the book combines meticulous research with gripping storytelling. It offers unprecedented insights into Amazon’s ruthless strategies, backed by internal documents and insider accounts. Critics note its relevance amid growing scrutiny of Big Tech’s influence.

Mattioli argues Amazon systematically stifled competition by:

• Undercutting prices to drive rivals out of markets.
• Mining seller data to launch copycat products.
• Leveraging logistics dominance to pressure partners.
• Exploiting tax loopholes to fund expansion.
  These tactics, she claims, created an "everything monopoly" harmful to consumers and innovation.

Amazon allegedly harvested data from third-party sellers, Alexa users, and marketplace analytics to identify profitable niches, replicate successful products, and manipulate search results. This data-driven approach allowed Amazon to enter new industries with unfair advantages, often at competitors’ expense.

Yes. Mattioli likens Amazon to Standard Oil, highlighting parallels in monopolistic practices and political influence. The book underscores how lax antitrust enforcement enabled both entities to reshape industries, arguing Amazon’s breakup could mirror the 1911 Standard Oil dissolution.

While acclaimed for its reporting, some reviewers argue the book oversimplifies Amazon’s impact, downplaying its consumer benefits and innovation. Others note a lack of focus on worker conditions and the absence of Amazon’s HQ2 bidding process in the narrative.

Mattioli frames the FTC’s 2023 lawsuit as a pivotal moment, alleging Amazon abused its power to inflate prices and stifle competition. The book details claims of predatory pricing, exclusionary contracts, and algorithmic manipulation central to the case.

The book alleges Amazon’s tactics—like fee hikes, data theft, and burying competitors in search results—crippled small businesses. Mattioli cites examples of companies forced into bankruptcy after Amazon replicated their products and undercut their prices.

Mattioli chronicles Amazon’s growth chronologically, interweaving investigative findings with CEO Jeff Bezos’ strategic decisions. Key sections focus on Amazon’s entry into new markets (e.g., pharmaceuticals, logistics) and its lobbying efforts to evade regulation.

With global antitrust actions accelerating, the book provides context for ongoing debates about tech monopolies. Its insights into Amazon’s lobbying, data practices, and market manipulation remain critical as regulators worldwide pursue accountability.