Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN ) engages in the retail sale of consumer products and subscriptions in North America and internationally. It operates through North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) segments. The company sells merchandise and content purchased for resale from vendors, as well as those offered by third-party sellers through retail Websites. It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle e-readers, fire tablets, fire TVs, and echo; and provides Kindle Direct Publishing, an online service that allows independent authors and publishers to make their books available in the Kindle Store.

We’ve spent a lot of time on retail and the retail “recovery” over the past few months, so for today’s article, it makes sense to take a look at the retail juggernaut, Amazon.com.

Amazon has proven to be a truly disruptive force within the sector. The aptly-named giant has a tendency to eliminate all competitors in its path. Some it buys out–Whole Foods–others it just washes out to the “sea”–Sears, JCPenney, etc.

No CEO seems safe from this company. Grocery-store CEOs received quite a shock when Whole Foods was scooped up and now it seems like health-care CEOs may be suffering sleepless nights thanks to the company’s plan to enter the health care field with the likes of Warren Buffett and JPMorganChase.

Amazon also possesses a sort of “kryptonite” whereby the company typically avoids the negative press and reputation for shutting down Main St. “Mom and Pop” retail stores like rival Wal-Mart. Even the most “woke” consumers seem unable to avoid patronizing Jeff Bezos and his creation.

Cities across the US have thrown themselves at the feet of Bezos, offering free land, tax rebates, and just about every possible incentive to attract attention and convince the company to build its second HQ in their locales.

And, people seem quite happy to allow the company’s data-gathering and surveillance technology –“Alexa”–a prized place in their homes despite all the unavoidable similarities to Orwell’s “1984” telescreen.