Amazon founder Jeff Bezos leaves behind two new legacies

The ecommerce giant is steering into a new direction

BY Rachel Ranosa 23 Jul 2021

Before embarking on a new chapter in his career, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his executive team updated the company’s famous leadership principles by adding two more. Both of which provide a glimpse into the direction the online retailer is taking now that Bezos has stepped down as CEO. The additions bring the total to 16 corporate values underpinning the ecommerce giant’s growth culture.

The new principles echo statements in Bezos’ shareholder letter back in April where he said: “We need a better vision for how we create value for employees – a vision for their success.” In that same note, the founder added: “We have always wanted to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company. We won’t change that. It’s what got us here. But I am committing us to an addition. We are going to be Earth’s Best Employer and Earth’s Safest Place to Work.”

Here are the two new corporate values Amazon employees must live by, according to leaders:

‘Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer’

“Leaders work every day to create a safer, more productive, higher performing, more diverse, and more just work environment. They lead with empathy, have fun at work, and make it easy for others to have fun. Leaders ask themselves: Are my fellow employees growing? Are they empowered? Are they ready for what's next? Leaders have a vision for and commitment to their employees’ personal success, whether that be at Amazon or elsewhere.”

‘Success and scale bring broad responsibility’

“We started in a garage, but we’re not there anymore. We are big, we impact the world, and we are far from perfect. We must be humble and thoughtful about even the secondary effects of our actions. Our local communities, planet, and future generations need us to be better every day. We must begin each day with a determination to make better, do better, and be better for our customers, our employees, our partners, and the world at large. And we must end every day knowing we can do even more tomorrow. Leaders create more than they consume and always leave things better than how they found them.”