See All EpisodesEP. 26 | 43 MIN.

Episode 26: Insider Secrets from Amazon

In this episode, Brian and Colin discuss the unique principles, processes and practices that have driven Amazon’s incredible success, with insider stories from Colin’s time as Technical Advisor to Jeff Bezos.
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As one of the world’s leading organizations, Amazon’s approach to culture, leadership and best practices are unlike any other company out there.

Brian speaks to Colin Bryar, former Technical Advisor to Jeff Bezos, to discuss what’s driven the incredible success of the eCommerce giant over the past three decades.

Co-Author of Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon, released today, Colin reveals the unique principles and processes that have led to Amazon’s meteoric rise.

Episode Highlights

  • Brian and Colin go into detail on Amazon’s relentless focus on the customer and the key elements that underpin its phenomenal strategy, including:
  • How Amazon ensures customer-centric product design by starting with an idealized future Press Release that would accompany a product on its launch.
  • Why the company replaced PowerPoint presentations with laser-focused 6-page narratives to communicate complex ideas more efficiently.
  • And how it has managed to reinforce ‘Amazonian’ culture so consistently, by instilling 14 leadership principles into everything it does.

This episode offers many never-before-heard insights into how Amazon has become one of the world’s greatest innovators and the leading light in eCommerce. And as Colin explains in today’s show, much of its approach can be applied to your own business, giving you a repeatable and scalable model for success.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, as well as any recommendations for future guests, so please get in touch with us.

Get to know Colin a little better by checking out his LinkedIn profile.

Find out more about Working Backwards, and order a copy of the book here.

Amazon's probably one of the few companies where software engineers actually write more press releases than the marketing department.

Meet the speakers

Colin Bryar,

Co-Founder of Working Backwards

Colin coauthored the upcoming book, “Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon,” which is a first-person account of how Amazon created and implemented the principles and processes that have made it successful. He is also a co-founder of Working Backwards, LLC where they help companies learn how to work backwards. Prior roles include Vice President at Amazon, two years as Technical Advisor to Jeff Bezos, COO at IMDb, and COO at Singapore-based RedMart.

Visit LinkedIn profile

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