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a16z Podcast

Amazon Narratives: Memos, Working Backwards from Release, More

Feb 8, 2021
Colin Bryar and Bill Carr, authors and former Amazon executives, unpack Amazon's innovative culture from their combined 27 years of experience. They discuss the power of six-page memos in meetings, which replace traditional PowerPoints, and the 'working backwards' approach to product development. The duo highlights how Amazon's leadership principles, customer obsession, and 'bare metal decision-making' foster agility. They also critique the reliance on minimum viable products and emphasize the PR FAQ method in shaping successful business models.
01:03:34

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The Amazon way of defining and scaling culture and operational practices through processes like memos and working backwards from a press release.
  • The significance of the 'invention machine' at Amazon that promotes long-term thinking, operational excellence, and decision-making based on data and judgment.

Deep dives

The Amazon Way: Insights and Practices for Business Success

The podcast episode explores the key ideas and insights from the book 'Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon'. The authors, Colin Bryer and Bill Carr, share their combined 27 years of experience at Amazon. They discuss the Amazon way of defining and scaling culture, processes, and operational practices. Two specific practices, memos instead of power points and working backwards from a press release, are highlighted and explained in detail. The episode also delves into the trade-offs of lean and minimum viable products and the importance of strong leadership and decision-making in the Amazon context.

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