Jeffrey Preston Bezos · "I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innova..."

Amazon Shareholder Letter, 1997 · Checked on 3 March 2026

I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innovate.

Analysis

The statement appears verbatim in Amazon’s **1997 Letter to Shareholders**, authored by Bezos. The phrasing aligns precisely with his emphasis on long-term thinking and risk-taking in innovation, a recurring theme in his leadership philosophy. No credible evidence suggests misattribution or fabrication. The quote is widely cited in business literature (e.g., *Harvard Business Review*, *Forbes*).

Background

The 1997 letter was Bezos’s first annual address to shareholders, outlining Amazon’s unconventional priorities (e.g., prioritizing growth over short-term profits). This principle—embracing misunderstanding—reflected his strategy to disrupt industries like retail and cloud computing, which later proved prescient. The letter is archived on Amazon’s **Investor Relations** page and referenced in biographies like *The Everything Store* (Brad Stone, 2013).

Verdict summary

Jeffrey Bezos did write in Amazon’s 1997 shareholder letter that innovators must be 'willing to be misunderstood,' and this is accurately quoted and attributed.

Sources consulted

— Amazon. (1997). *1997 Letter to Shareholders*. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000119312517126598/d373368dex991.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000119312517126598/d373368dex991.htm)

— Stone, B. (2013). *The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon*. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 48–50.

— Harvard Business Review. (2018). *Jeff Bezos’s Shareholder Letters: 1997–2017*. [https://hbr.org/2018/04/jeff-bezoss-shareholder-letters](https://hbr.org/2018/04/jeff-bezoss-shareholder-letters)

— Forbes. (2019). *The Genius Of Jeff Bezos’ 1997 Shareholder Letter*. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/04/15/the-genius-of-jeff-bezoss-1997-shareholder-letter/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/04/15/the-genius-of-jeff-bezoss-1997-shareholder-letter/)