The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Seattle’s “three B’s” are Bill Boeing, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos—the entrepreneurs whom University of Washington Bothell business dean Sandeep Krishnamurthy paired with Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon in a 2021 commentary. It is an argued lens on Seattle business history, not an official or definitive ranking. The companies’ reach became global, while their founders’ ties to the region differed: Boeing and Bezos moved there; Gates was born there.
Who are Seattle’s three B’s?
In his February 21, 2021, GeekWire guest commentary, Krishnamurthy framed Bill Boeing, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos as three major entrepreneurs in Seattle’s history. At the time, he was dean of the University of Washington Bothell School of Business; the commentary said his views did not represent an official position of UW or UW Bothell. His “three B’s” label is a thesis about regional business history, not a formal historical ranking. Read Krishnamurthy’s commentary at GeekWire.
The pairing is straightforward: Boeing with the aircraft company, Gates with Microsoft and Bezos with Amazon. Krishnamurthy’s broader point is that businesses rooted in the Pacific Northwest helped shape industries far beyond it. The comparison is useful as a starting point, but it is not a controlled scorecard: the commentary gives uneven evidence about each founder’s practices, later company development and social impact.
How large were the companies in the period the essay discussed?
Krishnamurthy compared the companies using 2020 revenue. These are historical figures, and the periods are not all labeled the same way: Amazon and Boeing figures cover calendar 2020, while Microsoft’s is for its fiscal year 2020.
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| Company | Period and revenue | What the figure does—and does not—show |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Calendar 2020: $386.1 billion in net sales, rounded to $386 billion in the commentary. | Indicates sales scale; it does not establish profitability or Amazon’s contribution to the regional economy. Amazon’s 2020 results |
| Microsoft | Fiscal 2020: $143.015 billion in revenue, rounded to $143 billion in the commentary. | Fiscal-year revenue is not directly identical in timing to the calendar-year figures for Amazon and Boeing. Microsoft’s 2020 annual report |
| Boeing | Calendar 2020: $58.2 billion in revenue. | Boeing said results were significantly affected by COVID-19, the 737 MAX grounding and commercial widebody programs. Boeing’s 2020 results |
Revenue measures money earned from sales, not profit. These figures alone cannot support a claim that the companies were equally profitable, nor do they measure how much economic value each generated in Seattle. Their value here is narrower: they show the scale of the businesses in the period Krishnamurthy was writing about.
What does the comparison say about Seattle business?
Different industries, a shared regional frame
Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon are associated with aviation, software and online commerce and technology services. Krishnamurthy uses them to illustrate how businesses connected to one region can influence markets worldwide. The companies’ later diversification and scale make the three-founder comparison broader than a story about a single product or industry, but the commentary does not offer a detailed, equal-depth account of how each business evolved.
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Different kinds of connection to the region
The founders’ Seattle stories are not identical. Boeing and Bezos moved to the region; Gates is a native. That distinction matters: the “three B’s” are a shared business-history frame, not three founders with the same hometown relationship or career path.
Culture and decision-making are interpretations
Krishnamurthy discusses company culture and decision practices as part of his comparison. He also reports wording from a sign in Bill Boeing’s office: “There is no authority except facts. 2. Facts are obtained by accurate observation. 3. Deductions are to be made only from facts. 4. Experience has proved the truth of these rules.” That wording is reported in the commentary; it should be understood as an account of the sign, not as an independently established archival quotation. A company’s displayed maxim or founder’s reputation, by itself, does not prove how decisions were made throughout the organization.
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Antitrust, philanthropy and social impact need context
The essay raises antitrust scrutiny, philanthropy and social impact as ways to examine the companies’ influence. Its treatment of those subjects is a 2021 commentary, not a current legal or philanthropic status report, and it does not supply a comprehensive timeline or consistent measure across all three businesses. Those themes help frame questions about the responsibilities that come with corporate scale; they should not be mistaken for a complete account of cases, outcomes or present-day activity.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What was Amazon’s founder transition?
In February 2021, Amazon announced that Jeff Bezos would become executive chair and Andy Jassy would become CEO in the third quarter of 2021. The announcement described a planned transition at that time; it is not, by itself, verification of current leadership. Amazon’s announcement and 2020 results.
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Krishnamurthy treats succession as part of the broader story of founder-led companies and long-serving colleagues. The announcement’s roles and timing are factual; what the handoff means for Amazon’s culture or future direction is analysis, not something the announcement alone can establish. Bezos said in the release, “Amazon is what it is because of invention. We do crazy things together and then make them normal.” That is his stated view of Amazon, not independent proof of how its culture operates.
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