Jul 22, 2021The Impacts of Amazon’s Decentralization — A Two Sided CoinWhen people ask me what Amazon is like, I end my description with a caveat. I explain that Amazon is decentralized to an extreme, so almost anything I describe might be different depending on where you work. This decentralization is a core aspect of how Amazon functions, what the employee…Process3 min readProcess3 min read
Jul 19, 2021What to Expect from the Amazon Interview and Hiring ProcessThis article is meant to give a brief summary of the Amazon interview process. I will walk through every stage in the interview and hiring process, what to expect, and hints along the way. As a quick note, I didn’t participate in the hiring processes for the fulfillment centers, so…Recruiting4 min readRecruiting4 min read
Jul 15, 2021A First Principles Anecdote — How I Avoided Burnout at AmazonNo one starts their careers knowing what they’re doing. We all learn from our mistakes. It’s our growth from those mistakes which turns us into the leaders we eventually become. I have found it hard sometimes to look at those leaders I admire, and remember that not terribly long ago…Leadership2 min readLeadership2 min read
Jul 12, 2021Why Good Enough is Better Than PerfectFrom an early age, I had a preference for barely hitting the quality bar. In school I would pay attention to the math behind grades, to ensure that I didn’t mistakenly put in more effort than was necessary. When I wrote papers, I would spend the least possible time. …Productivity3 min readProductivity3 min read
Jul 8, 2021Hit the Ground Running — How to Ramp Up at Your New Job in 3 WeeksI get bored easily. Maintaining variety in my job has been invaluable to help me maintain concentration on my work. I was particularly lucky to land at Amazon back in 2007, as Technology companies (and Amazon in particular) supports people moving around. For my detailed job history, you can look…Interview3 min readInterview3 min read
Jul 6, 2021Human Leadership Principles — Respecting the Humans We Work WithAmazon has some great leadership principles. These principles are focused around delivering results for the company. Moving fast, being right, and insisting on high standards. The wording of the principles focuses on achieving business success. Even “earn trust” which purports to be related to teamwork says “They benchmark themselves and…Leadership3 min readLeadership3 min read
Jul 1, 20214 Patterns in Software Development Projects Which Lead to FailureGaining experience in a career makes you better at recognizing patterns. This is a significant part of the value an experienced employee brings to the table. You see the information presented on a project, in an email, from an employee, and say “Oh, I’ve seen this before! I recognize what’s…3 min read3 min read
Jun 29, 2021How to pass the Amazon Technical InterviewI wrote a popular article about the Amazon Leadership Principles. It walked people through how to think about the principles, and the related questions they would be asked in the interview process. This article has helped dozens of people get jobs at Amazon. That article had originated from my notes…Interview3 min readInterview3 min read
Jun 28, 2021Why Your Vision is a Critical Ingredient in Goal SettingGoal setting without a vision can be counter productive. Where are you trying to go? — Take a shovel to your backyard. Pick a spot out of the way. Start digging a hole. Spend a few hours in the sun, shoveling hard. You have accomplished something right? You accomplished something valuable if you had a goal to have a hole in the ground. You wasted your…Leadership2 min readLeadership2 min read
Jun 21, 2021Why Outcomes Don’t Matter; Building Mechanisms as a LeaderThe Journey Not the Destination. Focus on what you can control, and move past the narrow focus on outcomes. Amazon’s websites and services rarely fail due to heavy customer load, or the inability for Amazon’s servers to scale. Rather, the majority of major outages are caused by manual human error. …Leadership Development2 min readLeadership Development2 min read
