Jeff Bezos

my least favorite part of it is, you know, building organizations and so on. That's important, but it's also my least favorite part. So, you know, that's why they call it work. You don't always get to do what you want to do.

I do little thinking retreats. So, this is not the only, I can do that all day long. I'm very good at focusing. I'm very good at, you know, I don't, keep to a strict schedule. Like my meetings often go longer than I planned for them to because I believe in wandering. My perfect meeting starts with a crisp document.

I do little thinking retreats. So, this is not the only, I can do that all day long. I'm very good at focusing. I'm very good at, you know, I don't, keep to a strict schedule. Like my meetings often go longer than I planned for them to because I believe in wandering. My perfect meeting starts with a crisp document.

I do little thinking retreats. So, this is not the only, I can do that all day long. I'm very good at focusing. I'm very good at, you know, I don't, keep to a strict schedule. Like my meetings often go longer than I planned for them to because I believe in wandering. My perfect meeting starts with a crisp document.

So the document should be written with such clarity that it's like angels singing from on high. I like a crisp document and a messy meeting. And so the meeting is about asking questions that nobody knows the answer to and trying to wander your way to a solution. When that happens just right, it makes all the other meetings worthwhile. It feels good. It has a kind of beauty to it.

So the document should be written with such clarity that it's like angels singing from on high. I like a crisp document and a messy meeting. And so the meeting is about asking questions that nobody knows the answer to and trying to wander your way to a solution. When that happens just right, it makes all the other meetings worthwhile. It feels good. It has a kind of beauty to it.

So the document should be written with such clarity that it's like angels singing from on high. I like a crisp document and a messy meeting. And so the meeting is about asking questions that nobody knows the answer to and trying to wander your way to a solution. When that happens just right, it makes all the other meetings worthwhile. It feels good. It has a kind of beauty to it.

an aesthetic beauty to it. And you get real breakthroughs in meetings like that.

an aesthetic beauty to it. And you get real breakthroughs in meetings like that.

an aesthetic beauty to it. And you get real breakthroughs in meetings like that.

Meetings at Amazon and Blue Origin are unusual. When new people come in, like a new executive joins, they're a little taken aback sometimes because a typical meeting We'll start with a six-page narratively structured memo. And we do study hall. For 30 minutes, we sit there silently together in the meeting and read. Take notes in the margins. And then we discuss.

Meetings at Amazon and Blue Origin are unusual. When new people come in, like a new executive joins, they're a little taken aback sometimes because a typical meeting We'll start with a six-page narratively structured memo. And we do study hall. For 30 minutes, we sit there silently together in the meeting and read. Take notes in the margins. And then we discuss.

Meetings at Amazon and Blue Origin are unusual. When new people come in, like a new executive joins, they're a little taken aback sometimes because a typical meeting We'll start with a six-page narratively structured memo. And we do study hall. For 30 minutes, we sit there silently together in the meeting and read. Take notes in the margins. And then we discuss.

And the reason, by the way, we do study, you could say, I would like everybody to read these memos in advance. But the problem is people don't have time to do that. And they end up coming to the meeting having only skimmed the memo or maybe not read it at all. And they're trying to catch up. And they're also bluffing like they were in college having pretended to do the reading. Exactly.

And the reason, by the way, we do study, you could say, I would like everybody to read these memos in advance. But the problem is people don't have time to do that. And they end up coming to the meeting having only skimmed the memo or maybe not read it at all. And they're trying to catch up. And they're also bluffing like they were in college having pretended to do the reading. Exactly.

And the reason, by the way, we do study, you could say, I would like everybody to read these memos in advance. But the problem is people don't have time to do that. And they end up coming to the meeting having only skimmed the memo or maybe not read it at all. And they're trying to catch up. And they're also bluffing like they were in college having pretended to do the reading. Exactly.

It's better just to carve out the time for people. And do it together. So now we're all on the same page. We've all read the memo. And now we can have a really elevated discussion. And this is so much better from having a slideshow presentation, a PowerPoint presentation of some kind, where that has so many difficulties. But one of the problems is PowerPoint is really designed to persuade.

It's better just to carve out the time for people. And do it together. So now we're all on the same page. We've all read the memo. And now we can have a really elevated discussion. And this is so much better from having a slideshow presentation, a PowerPoint presentation of some kind, where that has so many difficulties. But one of the problems is PowerPoint is really designed to persuade.

It's better just to carve out the time for people. And do it together. So now we're all on the same page. We've all read the memo. And now we can have a really elevated discussion. And this is so much better from having a slideshow presentation, a PowerPoint presentation of some kind, where that has so many difficulties. But one of the problems is PowerPoint is really designed to persuade.

It's kind of a sales tool. And internally, the last thing you want to do is sell. Again, you're truth-seeking. You're trying to find truth. And the other problem with PowerPoint is it's easy for the author to and hard for the audience. And a memo is the opposite. It's hard to write a six-page memo. A good six-page memo might take two weeks to write. You have to write it. You have to rewrite it.