# diapers.com: Marc Lore. The ecommerce visionary who lost to Amazon but still made billions (2021)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2026-03-30
- Length: 1h 13m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made

## Summary

Marc Lore, founder of diapers.com and jet.com, explains how he built an e-commerce empire by using diapers as a loss leader to drive traffic to higher-margin baby products. He details the 'scorched earth' strategy Amazon used to force his sale, including slashing prices and threatening to destroy the business, which led to a $550 million acquisition. Lore then launched jet.com with a $750 million raise to compete directly with Amazon, leveraging a smart pricing engine and efficient supply chain before being acquired by Walmart for $3.3 billion.

## Chapters

- [1:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=70) Introduction: Marc Lore and the diapers.com origin story
- [5:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=325) Lore's early life, competitive drive, and Wall Street career
- [19:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=1189) The Pit: Sports stock market and early entrepreneurial failures
- [26:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=1562) Identifying the diaper opportunity and initial guerrilla sourcing tactics
- [35:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=2126) Scaling diapers.com, packaging efficiency, and Quidsy expansion
- [44:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=2673) Amazon's aggressive price war and forced acquisition of diapers.com
- [54:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=3246) Launching jet.com and raising $750 million to challenge Amazon
- [1:02:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-30-diapers-com-marc-lore-the-ecommerce-visionary-who-lost-to-amazon-but-still-made#t=3762) Walmart's $3.3 billion acquisition of jet.com and Lore's tenure at Walmart

## Topics

- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- diapers.com (product)
- jet.com (product)
- Amazon (company)
- Walmart (company)
- Procter & Gamble (company)
- Kimberly-Clark (company)
- Pampers (product)
- Huggies (product)
- Quidsy (company)
- Wag.com (product)
- Soap.com (product)
- Beautybar.com (product)
- Yo-yo.com (product)
- Casa.com (product)
- Tops (company)
- WizKids (company)
- BJ's (company)
- Sam's Club (company)
- Costco (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [078: Selling Products Direct to End-Users via Shopify](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-06-02-078-selling-products-direct-to-end-users-via-shopify) (Product Startup)
- [199: Selling a New Product Successfully on Amazon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-10-28-199-selling-a-new-product-successfully-on-amazon) (Product Startup)
- [013: From Kitchen to Amazon, Launching All-Natural Cake Mix for Dogs with Kelly Costello of Puppy Cake](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-07-26-013-from-kitchen-to-amazon-launching-all-natural-cake-mix-for-dogs-with-kelly-co) (Product Startup)
- [The Incredible Shrinking Pie: Why the Future Lies in E-Commerce w/ Kevin Haar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2020-11-24-the-incredible-shrinking-pie-why-the-future-lies-in-e-commerce-w-kevin-haar) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [022: Ecommerce Strategy & Customer Persuasion, Chloë Thomas of eCommerce MasterPlan](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-10-11-022-ecommerce-strategy-customer-persuasion-chloe-thomas-of-ecommerce-masterplan) (Product Startup)

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