• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure

1

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
Amazon

Amazon versus the world: a recent history

By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
JP Mangalindan
JP Mangalindan
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 20, 2014, 10:50 AM ET
Amazon's Handset to Help Bezos Make Direct Appeal to Users
Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc., unveils the Fire Phone.Photo: Bloomberg—Getty Images

Where pricing is concerned, there’s Amazon, and then there’s everyone else.

From Stephen King to Disney, Warner Brothers to Bonnier publishing, the e-commerce giant has waged battle against countless parties this year, all in an attempt—at least, that’s how it appears—to have the final word on low prices.

Below, a tally of Amazon’s recent brouhahas.

Amazon vs. Hachette

This spring, Amazon (AMZN) took an aggressive stance toward Hachette, the fourth largest book publisher in the U.S., by delaying orders and restocking of e-books it sold on its site. Why? To get the upper-hand in negotiations over e-book pricing. (Amazon has said it wants Hachette titles to sell for no more than $9.99. Hachette, among other publishers, thinks that price will overly reduce profit margins.)

Amazon is "currently buying less [print] inventory and 'safety stock' on titles … than we ordinarily do, and are no longer taking pre-orders on titles whose publication dates are in the future," it explained in a statement posted to an online forum in May. But the company went beyond merely cutting back its inventory on Hachette titles, going so far as to remove the ability to pre-order books like Brad Stone’s paperback edition of The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon and J.K. Rowling’s novel The Silkworm.

Authors were understandably livid. “We have made Amazon many millions of dollars and over the years have contributed so much, free of charge, to the company by way of cooperation, joint promotions, reviews and blogs,” they wrote in a full-page New York Times print advertisement in August paid for by Authors United, a group representing 900 disgruntled writers including household names like John Grisham and Nora Roberts. “This is no way to treat a business partner. Nor is it the right way to treat your friends."

Status of negotiations: Ongoing

Amazon vs. Bonnier

Hachette isn’t the only book publisher to feel Amazon’s wrath. This week, more than 1,000 writers under the Sweden-based Bonnier Group (including noted Noble Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek) signed an open letter to Amazon accusing the company of manipulating its online recommendation lists, lying about the availability of books and delaying the shipment of customers’ orders, all as a way to negotiate bigger discounts with the Sweden-based publisher.

“Amazon’s customers have, until now, had the impression that these lists are not manipulated and they could trust Amazon,” reads the letter. “Apparently that is not the case.”

The battle began in May when the authors first noticed delays in the availability of their works, prompting Bonnier to reveal that it was in the midst of negotiations with Amazon.

Status of negotiations: Ongoing

Amazon vs. Disney

Fans of Maleficent, the summer film starring Angelina Jolie, must look elsewhere to pre-order it on DVD, thanks to a spat between Amazon and the Walt Disney Co. (DIS) over—you guessed it —pricing.

Fallout from the companies' hard-nosed negotiations also extends to other popular titles, including big-budget superhero flicks Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. (Conveniently, pre-orders for digital versions of the same films remain available via Amazon’s instant video service.)

“Amazon is looking to get a price break—we think—from all of the studios,” Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter told Bloomberg TV in an interview earlier this August. “Disney is not budging, and Amazon is fighting back by saying, ‘Fine, your new movies aren’t going to show up as pre-orders on our site.’"

Status of negotiations: Ongoing

Amazon vs. Warner Brothers

From mid-May to late June this year, Amazon removed the ability for customers to pre-order DVD versions of Warner Bros. (TWX) titles such as The Lego Movie and 300: Rise of an Empire while the two companies hashed out a new distribution deal. The companies never formally announced a resolution—it's a private matter, they say—but reports on June 24 indicated that they were close enough that customers could place pre-orders once again.

Shoppers noticed the interruption. “I'm definitely going elsewhere for this,” wrote an irked Amazon.com user by the name of John A. “I guess I can thank Amazon for steering me back towards brick and mortar stores—I've had mixed feelings about their demise.”

Status of negotiations: Resolved

About the Author
By JP Mangalindan
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

As the U.S. and Europe pull back from global climate aid, can Asian funders fill the gap?
Asiaphilanthropy
As the U.S. and Europe pull back from global climate aid, can Asian funders fill the gap?
By Angelica AngMay 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Rosewood Hotels institutes a global 16-week paid parental leave policy as Asia grapples with crashing birth rates
AsiaHong Kong
Rosewood Hotels institutes a global 16-week paid parental leave policy as Asia grapples with crashing birth rates
By Nicholas GordonMay 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for May 25, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for May 25, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 25, 2026
5 hours ago
le
AIReligion
Pope Leo called AI an ‘instrument of domination, exclusion and death.’ Anthropic was in the room
By Nicole Winfield, Kaitlyn Huamani, Paolo Santalucia and The Associated PressMay 25, 2026
7 hours ago
g
North AmericaHolidays
Memorial Day is 161 years old — and its true origin was buried almost immediately
By The Associated PressMay 25, 2026
7 hours ago
r
EuropeRussia
A country of 2.9 million people on Russia’s border just had 600,000 national records stolen
By The Associated PressMay 25, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
Economy
The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
By Nick LichtenbergMay 25, 2026
16 hours ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
4 days ago
The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
Travel & Leisure
The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
By Catherina GioinoMay 25, 2026
13 hours ago
Elon Musk's best friend could make more than $100 billion from SpaceX's IPO. His firm is also owed billions by SpaceX
Investing
Elon Musk's best friend could make more than $100 billion from SpaceX's IPO. His firm is also owed billions by SpaceX
By Eva RoytburgMay 25, 2026
12 hours ago
A billionaire and an A-list actor found refuge in a 37-home Florida neighborhood with armed guards—proof that privacy is now the ultimate luxury
Real Estate
A billionaire and an A-list actor found refuge in a 37-home Florida neighborhood with armed guards—proof that privacy is now the ultimate luxury
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 25, 2026
12 hours ago
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
Lifestyle
Uber CEO says rideshare 'freed up' his son from having to get a driver’s license—and he's one of many Gen Zers who aren’t willing to drive
By Sasha RogelbergMay 24, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.