A blog post from Slice Intelligence, which compiled the report, makes a point that is too often ignored because it seems so mundane (and a point I’ve been harping on for some time): “Amazon maintains an obsessive focus on removing every pain point from the buying process.” To put it another way, Amazon is the world champion at taking out friction. This is the company that invented and patented one-click buying. This obsession may seem boring, but it’s hugely valuable. How valuable? Slice calculates that of all the growth in U.S. e-commerce last year, Amazon alone captured 53%. Thousands of others had to fight over the rest.

My favorite example of friction reduction is what Amazon calls dash buttons. They’re lozenge-shaped plastic devices about three inches long with adhesive backing. On the front is the name of a product – say, Tide laundry detergent – and a button. Assuming you’re an Amazon Prime member, you set up a default order quantity and a payment method. Then you stick the dash button to your laundry room’s wall (or wherever you want). When you run low on detergent, you just hit the button. Bam – two days later a box of Tide is on your doorstep.

Dash buttons were ridiculed when introduced; imagine, a device that does one thing and one thing only. But Amazon now offers hundreds of them for an endless array of products – dog food, soap, crackers, batteries, computer paper. Apparently someone over there got to thinking, “You know that one-click ordering? It’s just too hard.”

Another friction-reducer emphasized in the Slice report is Amazon’s shipping advantage. Even as other retailers have reduced their average shipping time over the past two years, Amazon has remained faster by two to three days. It will apparently do anything to maintain that advantage. Thus its pioneering work on drone delivery, its recently unearthed patent application for a blimp-based warehouse, and this week’s announcement that it will build its own air cargo hub in northern Kentucky, having previously begun assembling its own delivery network with cargo planes and trucks.

Even Walmart, with about quadruple Amazon’s revenue, struggles to fight back. This week it dropped its fee-based free shipping offer, an attempt to compete with Prime, and replaced it with a simple offer of free two-day shipping for orders over $35. Trouble is, this offer isn’t nearly as sticky as Prime; it can be undercut by any competitor that offers a lower minimum order. But Prime members don’t worry about minimum order size – there isn’t any. They just order whatever they want, knowing it will arrive in two days for free. Simple. No friction. And they get much more for their $99 annual membership, including free streaming music and videos, occasional free Kindle books, and other benefits. It’s hard to give all that up.

The digital revolution is creating a radically more friction-free economy. Amazon understands the implications better than any other company, and catching it is getting harder for its competitors by the day.

You can share Power Sheet with friends and followers here.

What We're Reading Today

Abercrombie & Fitch names a CEO...
...after a two-year gap, promoting chief merchandising officer Fran Horowitz. Previous CEO Michael Jeffries retired in December 2014. Horowitz has been viewed as a potential CEO for the past year. Columbus Dispatch

Banks annoyed at Snap's secrecy
Investment banks seeking to underwrite the IPO of Snapchat's parent would normally get to see the registration document before it's made public this week. But Evan Spiegel's company is guarding it closely to prevent leaks. Spiegel has protected company data since the business was created. Reuters

Retailers unite against a border tax
Doug McMillon's Walmart, Brian Cornell's Target, Hubert Joly's Best Buy, and over 100 other retailers have banded together to fight any proposed border tax on imports. The companies claim it will cost everyday Americans, since about 97% of clothing and footwear is imported. Fortune

Trump to Republican senators: Go nuclear
President Trump has advised GOP senators to use any option available in order to confirm Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court justice. Democrats have vowed to fight the nomination, in part because President Obama's pick for the seat, Merrick Garland, was never considered. The "nuclear" option would force a vote, ending any filibuster, and require just 51 senators rather than 60 to approve the nomination. NBC News

Building Better Leaders

Are clients loyal to the firm or the talent?
New research finds that when lobbyists left for a new firm, the chance that a client would follow the employee rose by 2% for every six months the two had worked together. Harvard Business Review

At nearly 70% of companies, senior level women...
…are less engaged than their male peers. Factors include mentorships, work life balance, pay, and promotional opportunities. Fortune

A CEO's new job: Recruiting on college campuses
Cargill CEO David MacLennan personally calls recruits, while Land O' Lakes CEO Chris Policinski visits college campuses about twice a month. WSJ

Foreign Policy

Trump's call with Australian prime minister turns contentious
In what was expected to be a straightforward call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, President Trump reportedly ended the scheduled hour-long discussion abruptly after just 25 minutes. Trump called Australia's agreement to take in 1,250 refugees the "worst deal ever" and said that of all his calls with world leaders, "this was the worst call by far." Washington Post

Trump tweets threat to Iran
After Iran tested a ballistic missile on Monday, Trump tweeted that it "has been formally PUT ON NOTICE." He said Iran should be thankful for the "terrible deal" it received in the Iran Nuclear Accord. It's unclear what action, if any, Trump will take. Politico

Trump warns Mexico about "bad hombres"
In a call with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Trump said Mexico had better take care of the "bad hombres down there" or he will send in people who will. While the transcript was unclear on tone and context, Mexico denies being threatened by the president. Fortune

Up or Out

Dawn Fitzpatrick has been named chief investment officer at Soros Fund Management. NYT

Fortune Reads and Videos

IBM wants Watson to help with your taxes
The company is partnering with H&R Block to help customers find deductions and (hopefully) tax refunds. Fortune

Reddit shuts down alt-right channel...
…over objectionable content. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian publicly criticized President Trump's immigration ban two days earlier. Fortune 

The FAA approves drone flights at an airport for the first time
The drones flew around Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in order to survey parking structures set for demolition. Fortune

Cord cutters prefer Netflix's original programming...
...to HBO's. While 45% said HBO Now has "interesting original content," 60% said Netflix does. Fortune

Happy Birthday