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Interview. Billionaire Square (Block) Cofounder Jim McKelvey on Competing Against Amazon

March 12, 2026 · 44 min

Show notes

In this exceptional interview, we talk to Cofounder of Square (Block) Jim McKelvey on competing against Amazon. From his time at Square, he saw how they were able to outcompete Amazon and he wasn't sure how that was possible given their superior resources, merchant network, and large base of talented employees. After better understanding how that was possible, he wrote a book on his insights called "The Innovation Stack". In this interview we touch on some of his key learnings, as well as talk about why it is so hard to copy some businesses.

**Purchase Jim's Book, The Innovation Stack, Here

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Show Notes

(0:00) — Amazon vs Square (13:22) — Why Amazon Quit Against Square (24:58) — Southwest (37:33) — Copying a Companies Innovation Stack (40:53) — Advice to Build a Business

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Disclaimer

Nothing in this podcast is investment advice nor should be construed as such. Contributors to the podcast may own securities discussed. Furthermore, accounts contributors advise on may also have positions in securities discuessed. Please see our full disclaimers here: https://speedwellresearch.com/disclaimer/

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