AMAZON CEO: Books Today Are Too Expensive

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Jeff bezos

Michael Seto/Business Insider

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos thinks books should be cheaper, he told Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget on stage at this year's Ignition conference.

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Bezos thinks $30 is too expensive for a book, since most books are competing for your attention with content that's free or less expensive.

This could include anything from a blog to a video game to a mobile app, according to Bezos.

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The bottom line, he says, is that books aren't only competing against other books anymore, so the pricing should reflect that.

"If you realize that you're really competing against 'Candy Crush,' you'd say, 'Gosh, maybe we should think about reducing friction on long form reading. That's what Kindle has been about from the very beginning."

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Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.