Jeff Bezos originally wanted to name Amazon ‘Cadabra,’ and 14 other little-known facts about the early days of the e-commerce giant

Jeff Bezos was a demanding boss and could explode at employees. Rumor has it, he hired a leadership coach to help him tone it down.

Jeff Bezos high-fives tennis star Anna Kournikova during a charity tennis tournament in 2003.

Evan Agostini/Getty Images for Amazon.com

Bezos was known for his explosive or sarcastic responses to employees if he wasn’t happy with what they reported to him. It was said that he had hired a leadership coach to try to keep his harsh evaluations in check. 

Here’s an excerpt from Brad Stone’s book:

“During one memorable meeting, Bezos reprimanded [Diane] Lye and her colleagues in his customarily devastating way, telling them they were stupid and saying they should ‘come back in a week when you figure out what you’re doing.’ Then he walked a few steps, froze in mid-stride as if something had suddenly occurred to him, wheeled around, and added, ‘But great work everyone.'”