Think Like Amazon

Most people think “Think Big” means adding features or scaling up. Steve Huynh, an 18-year Amazon veteran turned content creator, says that’s a trap. In Part 1 of this conversation, Jorge and Steve unpack why real innovation starts with challenging assumptions, not building bigger versions of what already exists.

They explore the Amazon mindset behind true invention, the underrated power of clear writing, and how to develop “Think B...

What if Amazon’s innovation edge came not from big ideas, but from writing them down? In this episode, Jorge sits down with Marcelo Calbucci, former Amazon Director and author of The PRFAQ Framework, to unpack the writing-first approach Amazon uses to launch new products. They explore why the PRFAQ (Press Release + FAQ) is more than a document. It’s a mindset that drives clarity, focus, and customer obsession.

Whether you're b...

What does it mean to lead with purpose, without quitting your job? 

In this episode, Jorge sits down with Luis Caballero, former Amazon leader and current VP of Marketing Strategy & Analytics at HelloFresh. Luis shares how launching an internal podcast helped him grow as a marketer, why he took on the role of President of “Latinos at Amazon,” and how Amazon’s “single-threaded leadership” model shaped his career. 

From leading tec...

Jorge is officially taking over as the new host of Think Like Amazon. But before diving into fresh conversations, he went back and studied the top episodes. What he found is timeless leadership lessons from insiders who built and scaled Amazon.

 In this kickoff episode, he breaks down 7 powerful insights (from earning trust to building real customer obsession) that every ambitious leader should hear.

Whether you lead a team or just w...

Tyler Wallis spent seven years at Amazon, leading teams in Consumer Electronics, Home Improvement, and Marketing for Amazon Canada. In that same time, he scaled from intern to team leader. After Amazon, Tyler founded TripleLine, an agency helping “better-for-you” CPG brands scale profitably on Amazon, and launched this podcast (Think Like Amazon) to share insights on applying Amazon’s leadership principles beyond the company.

In th...

Jorge Pando spent eight years at Amazon, holding key leadership roles across retail and advertising, most recently as Head of Product for Amazon Advertising. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Jorge developed and scaled the "Effective at Amazon" program, which grew from a side project to an initiative impacting over 70,000 Amazonians across 60 countries. Now, Jorge provides courses and coaching to help busines...

Ronak spent over 9 years at Amazon, where he led large businesses across Fulfillment, Ultra-fast delivery, Real Estate, Process Improvement, and Last Mile Delivery. Ronak was also the youngest Regional Director in Amazon history, with placement into Amazon’s highest volume, most critical region of fulfillment. After nearly a decade with the company, Ronak left Amazon to join Odeko as Chief Supply Chain Officer. 

In this episode, Ro...

Jennifer spent over 16 years at Amazon across various roles that included Financial Analyst, Product Manager, Head of Vendor Management, and Category Leader. During this time, Jennifer’s teams helped create new input metrics and ask questions to evolve Amazon’s use of data in the quest for operational excellence. Jennifer has since taken this ability to lead through data and questioning to launch a marketplace service for BuildDire...

In part two of this 2-episode special with Steve Frazier, a former 20-year Amazon VP, we pick up in talking about how to use data, focus on inputs, and exercise strong judgement in prioritizing your team’s attention in a scaling business.

You’ll hear Steve share: 

·        Why businesses should focus on operational performance reviews, even on day 1

·        The 2 magical metrics that helped Amazon stay focused on the right actions a...

Steve spent over 20 years as a VP at Amazon where he launched multiple businesses and led organizations around the globe. During his Amazon career, Steve spent time as the country manager for Amazon UK and Amazon China, in addition to roles leading North American Retail expansion and the rollout of international consumer programs. 

In this first installment of our two-episode conversation with Steve, we discuss Amazon’s approach to...

Umer spent nearly 12 years at Amazon as a software development leader across a diverse set of businesses including Amazon’s data warehouse, reverse logistics, Prime Now program, Amazon Fresh, and Whole Foods Market. Umer left Amazon in early 2018 to co-found Veeve, a contact-less shopping checkout solution, and in early 2021, Umer took on the role of CTO at fabric.inc, a high-growth startup providing headless commerce solutions for...

Mandy spent over 13 years at Amazon across a number of roles including as leader of product management, marketing, and retail buying teams, running Prime Pantry, leading the supply chain function for Amazon Private Label, and leading worldwide employee performance management programs. Since Amazon, Mandy has joined The Bouqs, an innovative e-commerce floral delivery service, where she is now VP of People and applying her input focu...

Justin spent 10 years at Amazon where he helped lead Baby Registry to becoming the #1 US registry, reinvented the vendor negotiation process that led to $1B in profitability improvements, and received a "Just Do It" award from Jeff Bezos for inventing a new communication system for vendors and sellers. In 2019, Justin left his role as Director of Amazon Device Sales and Marketing Technology to pursue several entrepreneuri...

Chad spent nearly 16 years at Amazon which included roles as Director of Fulfillment by Amazon and Director of Global Sales. Having joined Amazon in 1999, Chad helped build and develop many teams to lead these and other core Amazon businesses. Chad left Amazon in 2015 to build and co-lead The Goelzer Home Team and improve the customer focus and use of technology in real estate. 

In this episode, you’ll enjoy Chad’s passion for crea...

Dave spent nearly 12 years at Amazon moving from a Development Manager to a Technology Director. In early 2020, Dave took on the role as Head of Technology for Bezos Academy where he spent over a year building their technology foundation. Since leaving Amazon and Bezos Academy in 2021, Dave has begun publishing regular leadership articles on his newsletter, Scarlet Ink.

In this episode, Dave and I dive into the Frugality principle ...

Melissa spent 19 years at Amazon, progressing through over ten roles that included Technical Advisor to Jeff Wilke, VP of Sports, Outdoors, and Toys, and VP of Sales and Marketing for Amazon Devices. After leaving Amazon, Melissa spent a year as COO of Glossier and recently launched a venture-backed startup, Modern Age, to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives. 

In our conversation, we discuss Amazon’s Learn & Be Cu...

Kyle spent over 7 years at Amazon where he launched multiple billion-dollar programs, including Amazon Renewed and Amazon Exclusives – now known as Amazon Launchpad. Since leaving Amazon in 2020, Kyle has co-founded two companies, The Lab Consult, which helps e-commerce brands implement systems to scale profitably online, and Foundry Brands, an FBA brand aggregator that recently raised $100M to buy and grow consumer brands.

Faisal spent over 7 years at Amazon as a Director over the early growth of several businesses including Mobile Electronics, Amazon Warehouse, Amazon BuyBack, Amazon TradeIn, and Amazon Basics. Building these programs  helped Faisal hone his ability to Dive Deep into business processes and health. Since leaving Amazon in 2011, Faisal held a number of VP and C-level roles for companies such as eBay, Groupon, Staples, and Google, befo...

Elizabeth spent 15 years at Amazon where she grew multiple billion-dollar businesses and held several roles including Director of Lawn & Garden and Director and General Manager of Business & Technology for Selling Partner Success prior to joining Kraft Heinz as VP of Global eCommerce. 

In our conversation, Elizabeth shares the people-leadership practices that she built throughout her Amazon career and continues to apply in ...