Last week, Amazon quietly hosted a private open house for senior engineering leaders at its Seattle headquarters. About fifty people gathered to discuss how Amazon makes technical decisions at scale-the kind you don’t hear about in press releases or leadership books.
I didn’t know what to expect, but who would say no to dinner with smart people and deep conversations in the Seattle Spheres?¹
This is my version of a great night out 🥂.
It was a rare glimpse into the senior engineering culture that Jeff Bezos seeded. It still defines the company today.
Three themes stood out:
Purpose: Mission-driven work. Structure: Clear alignment between titles and roles. Focus: Craft over perks.
Amazon didn’t ask me to write this. I wanted to capture my thoughts while they’re fresh. If you’ve ever wondered what Amazon’s engineering culture feels like from the inside, this might help.
Purpose: Mission-Driven Work
The space industry is the definition of mission-driven culture.
MiMi Aung, a NASA veteran of thirty years and Director of Technical Program Management for Project Kuiper, gave a presentation I’ll never forget.
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