Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Says There’s One Trait That Contributes ‘an Embarrassing Amount’ to Being Successful
Jassy succeeded founder Jeff Bezos as Amazon’s CEO in 2021.
Key Takeaways
- In a new blog post, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy gave career advice and emphasized the importance of a can-do attitude in career advancement.
- Jassy joined Amazon 28 years ago as a product manager.
Before Amazon CEO Andy Jassy joined Amazon in 1997 as a , he had tried , working in investment banking, sports production, and retail.
In an published last week, Jassy, 57, reflected on his career and emphasized how important the right attitude was for his success.
“I do believe that an embarrassing amount of what makes people successful is attitude,” Jassy wrote in the post.
After taking on various leadership roles at Amazon, he internally founded and led the company’s cloud computing business Amazon Web Services (AWS), becoming in 2016. By 2020, AWS had an annual operating profit of , which was more than 63% of Amazon’s entire operating profit for the year. The following year, Jassy succeeded founder Jeff Bezos as .
Jassy defined a successful attitude as working hard, following through on commitments, being trustworthy, being able to work on a team, and caring about the mission of a company. Amazon’s is to be “Earth’s most customer-centric company.” He also stated that those with a successful attitude have a can-do mentality that allows them to contribute meaningfully to a company.
Jassy said that he tried out multiple career paths before joining Amazon and that each was a lesson in what he didn’t want to do.
“I don’t think that you have to know what your final destination is in your job early in your life,” Jassy wrote, “Maybe not even in your 40s, 50s, and 60s. I think that you have a chance to keep writing your own story and reinventing your own story.”
This isn’t the first time Jassy has highlighted attitude as a vital ingredient for success. In an with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky last year, Jassy said that his best career advice, especially for those starting in the workforce, would be to adopt the right attitude.
“There are so many things that you can’t control in your work life, but you can control your attitude,” Jassy said, at the time.
He explained in the interview that having a trustworthy, can-do mentality “makes a big difference” and allows people to pick up mentors and advocates more quickly.
Jassy is the latest leader on a career advice kick. Last week, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon advised CEOs and company executives to be humble and treat employees well regardless of what title they hold in the company. Dimon also told leaders to show grit and make decisions quickly throughout the day.
Amazon is the fourth most valuable company in the world with a of over $2 trillion.
Key Takeaways
- In a new blog post, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy gave career advice and emphasized the importance of a can-do attitude in career advancement.
- Jassy joined Amazon 28 years ago as a product manager.
Before Amazon CEO Andy Jassy joined Amazon in 1997 as a , he had tried , working in investment banking, sports production, and retail.
In an published last week, Jassy, 57, reflected on his career and emphasized how important the right attitude was for his success.
“I do believe that an embarrassing amount of what makes people successful is attitude,” Jassy wrote in the post.
