Former Amazon principal engineer says he spent '1-4 hours' reading daily - and it's part of the company's 'secret sauce'

Steve Huynh, a former principal engineer at Amazon, advocates for replicating the company’s reading culture. His daily routine involved one to four hours reading six-page memos, integral to Amazon’s communication. Meetings included a 'study hall' format where attendees read memos together. This approach was emphasized by Jeff Bezos, who rejected PowerPoint in favor of dense written communication. Huynh believes this method ensures employees are well-informed and contributes significantly to Amazon's operational success, referring to it as part of the company’s 'secret sauce.'

When I was a principal engineer, I spent on the order of like 1-4 hours every day reading while I was a principal engineer. What an amazing culture that I think that almost every other company should replicate if they could.

Bezos insisted on dense, direct memos in 10-point font. Before meetings, Amazon employees read these memos together to ensure everyone was on the same page.

Read at Business Insider