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Bezos clearly doesn't fall into this category. He literally built Amazon himself, on his knees, packing books with his bare hands. If there's one billionaire w

Bezos clearly doesn't fall into this category. He literally built Amazon himself, on his knees, packing books with his bare hands. If there's one billionaire with intimate knowledge of the "lower" levels of his business, it's Bezos.

quesera 6y ago
The business of Amazon has changed greatly since Bezos last packed a book. I'm not here to tell him how to run his business, but let's not pretend he would be happy to work in his warehouse.
- efitz 6y ago
  Amazon employee here, speaking for myself, not the company. When I was hired, every senior employee (IC and manager, regardless of role) had to go work in a fulfillment center for a week sometime during your first year, learning and then performing all the jobs. I’m a computer guy, but there I was loading trucks, packing boxes, etc. It was a fantastic experience and connected you viscerally to the business. I believe it is still required. This is the culture that Jeff shaped for the company.
  - quesera 6y ago
    I've long thought this was an interesting model, and I've known that Amazon follows it, or at least did at one time. I wouldn't overstate it though -- the ability to tolerate a week of something does not necessarily extrapolate to a month or a year. A week in the rainforest is an adventure. A life in the rainforest is difficult and short. But I don't intend any criticism of Bezos. He has done the math on warehouse employee satisfaction as a contributor to corporate goals, and made his decision. The scrappy days of packing his own shipments are long past, and that experience gives him not-much insight into the working conditions for the people in his warehouses. That's fine, but it's not a basis for deification.
  - meowster 6y ago
    I think it depends on the attitude of the employee. For the people who have good attitudes where working there fulltime is character-building, they are over-qualified. For the people who aren't qualified to have a better job, their attitudes about things suck. For you, I imagine it was a week-long challenge where you knew that you would have a better job afterwards and make a lot more money.

quesera 6y ago

The business of Amazon has changed greatly since Bezos last packed a book. I'm not here to tell him how to run his business, but let's not pretend he would be happy to work in his warehouse.

efitz 6y ago
Amazon employee here, speaking for myself, not the company. When I was hired, every senior employee (IC and manager, regardless of role) had to go work in a fulfillment center for a week sometime during your first year, learning and then performing all the jobs. I’m a computer guy, but there I was loading trucks, packing boxes, etc. It was a fantastic experience and connected you viscerally to the business. I believe it is still required. This is the culture that Jeff shaped for the company.
- quesera 6y ago
  I've long thought this was an interesting model, and I've known that Amazon follows it, or at least did at one time. I wouldn't overstate it though -- the ability to tolerate a week of something does not necessarily extrapolate to a month or a year. A week in the rainforest is an adventure. A life in the rainforest is difficult and short. But I don't intend any criticism of Bezos. He has done the math on warehouse employee satisfaction as a contributor to corporate goals, and made his decision. The scrappy days of packing his own shipments are long past, and that experience gives him not-much insight into the working conditions for the people in his warehouses. That's fine, but it's not a basis for deification.
- meowster 6y ago
  I think it depends on the attitude of the employee. For the people who have good attitudes where working there fulltime is character-building, they are over-qualified. For the people who aren't qualified to have a better job, their attitudes about things suck. For you, I imagine it was a week-long challenge where you knew that you would have a better job afterwards and make a lot more money.