The “institutional no” is a big reason why Amazon could have made an error of omission in this case. Jeff and other Amazon leaders often talk about the “institutional no” and its counterpart, the “institutional yes.” The institutional no refers to the tendency for well-meaning people within large organizations to say no to new ideas. The errors caused by the institutional no are typically errors of omission, that is, something a company doesn’t do versus something it does. Staying the current course offers managers comfort and certainty—even if the price of that short-term certainty is
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