In December 2019, I had the distinct honor to deliver the Commencement Keynote Address at Northeastern University Seattle. While this topic isn't immediately related to getting you better prepared to interview with Amazon, I thought that sharing it here would still be relevant. You may find out...

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It’s brazen and unwise to claim that any corporation can rule the future. Over the long run, all incumbents lose (even the most powerful ones) and are eventually replaced by new incumbents, who also fall in time, etc. Having said the above, it’s hard to imagine Amazon not continuing to rise...

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You could absolutely delay your Amazon start date for the right reasons. For example, as a former Amazon Hiring Manager, I have waited as long as 6 months and 7 months respectively for two different hires to join my teams. One of these future hires had visa issues and the other was coming off...

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Getting a job at Amazon is a tough (at times bordering on grueling) process that’s hard to distill to just five steps. Nonetheless, below are a few considerations to help you along. 1) Take on resolving challenging problems: My first piece of advice covers your corporate (or academic) career...

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Someone recently asked me: "I have 1.5 years experience, and I got an offer at Amazon as SDE 1. How long approximately will it take for me to get promoted to SDE2? Should I wait another year and try again as SDE2?" My advice would be to take the SDE1 role now and not wait for another year to...

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How to respond to "What is your Biggest Professional Failure?" 1. Own your failure: Be vocally self-critical and don't point fingers. 2. Quantify your failure: Be specific about how much revenue you lost or what were other quantifiable costs of your failure. 3. Give a different example where...

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Throughout Amazon's existence, Jeff Bezos has engaged in the practice of writing annual letters to Amazon's shareholders. He includes each letter in Amazon's annual report for the year, and discusses his business beliefs and overall philosophy in running Amazon. These letters provide a...

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Several years ago, at the end of an all-hands meeting, an Amazon employee asked Jeff Bezos: "Jeff, what is the one thing you would change about Amazon?" Bezos responded with: "Speed. I would like us to move even more quickly." Amazon is known for moving fast. I can attest, first-hand, just how...

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The average tenure of a full-time Amazonian is roughly one year, while tenure at other tech places like Facebook, Apple, and Google tends to be roughly about two years. Why is that? Before venturing an explanation, I should clarify a couple of house-keeping items: 1) the one-year-tenure...

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Someone recently asked me, on Quora: "I'm 32 and want to Start Programming. Can I ever Become good Enough to join Google, Microsoft, Amazon?" I thought it would be good to repost my response here, too. Yes. You can. Google, Microsoft, or Amazon can certainly employ you as a Software...

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