In a 2023 conversation on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos shared his counterintuitive approach to decision-making that prioritizes speed, trust and commitment over endless debate.
Disagree And Commit: The Secret To Fast Decisions
Bezos explained the principle of "disagree and commit," a cornerstone of Amazon's decision-making culture.
He said, "It's very common in any endeavor… You have a teammate and the two of you disagree. At some point, you have to make a decision."
"Ultimately, the CEO gets to make that decision. And the CEO may not always make the decision that they agree with," he stated.
The Amazon founder said that even when he personally disagreed with a decision, he would fully support it if a trusted team member strongly advocated for it.
"I would often say, ‘You know what? I don't think you're right, but I'm gonna gamble with you. You're closer to the ground truth than I am … Let's do it your way,'" Bezos explained.
See Also: OpenAI's ChatGPT Makes Headway In Search, Threatening Google's Reign
Jeff Bezos Explains Why Compromise Often Fails
Bezos criticized compromise and wars of attrition as poor dispute-resolution methods, noting that both are "low-energy" ways to reach an agreement but don't necessarily lead to truth.
Instead, Bezos encouraged escalation when disagreements cannot be resolved directly.
"Escalate to your boss and say, ‘Hey, we can’t agree on this. We like each other, we’re respectful of each other, but we strongly disagree with each other. We need you to make a decision here so we can move forward," he said.
This ensures momentum and prevents energy drain. Fridman noted this approach increases velocity, to which Bezos agreed, saying, "Most of what slows things down is taking too long to make decisions at all scale levels."
Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
Jeff Bezos’ Net Worth, Investments And Philanthropy
Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, currently boasts a staggering net worth of $244 billion, ranking fourth on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index.
Beyond his tech ventures, Bezos has expanded his empire across media, space, and luxury assets. In 2013, he purchased The Washington Post for $250 million and in 2023, he reportedly spent around $500 million on his superyacht Koru.
Bezos is also known for his large-scale philanthropic commitments. In 2018, he pledged $2 billion to social causes and in 2020, he announced a $10 billion climate pledge aimed at combating the effects of global warming.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that Amazon (AMZN) maintains a strong long-term price trajectory, even as its short and mid-term performance shows some softness. More detailed insights into its performance can be found here.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Photo: Shutterstock/Photo Agency
Read Next:
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
