Helmet football kicked off this month, which means I resumed watching commercials. The highlight was an Amazon spot that claimed a 'goal' of being carbon net-zero by 2040. Awesome, right?
Right.
You know what net-zero sounds like to me? It sounds to me like a drunk guy stumbling into a bar and announcing he'll have a water with each beer so he can drive himself home at last call. But what do I know? I know that back in my day, Amazon tried to win - it innovated, it competed, it went for the W - and it won. The Amazon I knew would have set a real goal, like maybe becoming a leader in negative-emissions technology, but I guess times are different; think big, insist on the highest standards, it all means net-zero.
Of course, it's possible I'm being unfair in classic TOA fashion, so I decided to see how Amazon stacked up among competitors. Maybe net-zero by 2040 is actually a favorable goal within Amazon's peer group? You never know if you don't check, right? Dive deep, learn and be curious, but I only got started, quitting as soon as I saw five of the eight firms ahead of it on the Forbes revenue ranking are oil and gas companies; forget the water, just pour me a shot, or shoot me, if the options are driving home or being here at last call.
