How Amazon Actually Runs Executive Meetings

(And What You Need to Prep)

Ha!: Most executive meetings are really not very productive. You know it, I know it, everyone sitting in that conference room checking their phones knows it. Someone fires up PowerPoint, clicks through 47 slides of bullet points, and somehow an hour disappears with zero decisions made.

Amazon figured this out early and said “nope.” Since 2004, Jeff Bezos banned PowerPoint from executive meetings and replaced it with something that actually works: the 6-page memo.

What Actually Happens in an Amazon Executive Meeting

Forget everything you think you know about corporate meetings. Here’s how Amazon does it:

The Setup: Everyone gets a 6-page, narratively-structured memo. No slides, no bullet points, just dense prose that tells a complete story. Think of it like a mini business case, but written in actual sentences with actual paragraphs.

The Weird Part: The first 30 minutes of the meeting is dead silent. Everyone sits around the table reading the memo, taking notes in the margins, like it’s study hall. No small talk, no “how was your weekend” – just pure, focused reading.

Why Silent Reading Works: Bezos knows that “executives will bluff their way through the meeting as if they’ve read the memo because we’re busy.” By forcing everyone to read during the meeting, nobody can fake their way through. Everyone’s actually prepared for once.

The Discussion: After the reading period, the real meeting starts. People ask questions, poke holes in the logic, debate the proposal. The narrative format forces specificity and in-depth thinking, helping bridge gaps in logic and information.

What You Need to Do to Prepare This Meeting

If you’re the poor soul organizing one of these meetings, here’s your prep checklist:

Writing the Memo (The Hard Part)

Don’t think you can bang this out the night before. “The great memos are written and rewritten, shared with colleagues who are asked to improve the work, set aside for a couple of days, and then edited again with a fresh mind.” We’re talking weeks, not hours.

Structure that works:

• Introduction: Why are we here? What’s the situation?
• Goals: What exactly are we trying to accomplish?
• Current state: Where things stand right now
• Strategic priorities: How we’re going to get there
• Data backup: Put the supporting evidence in appendices

Writing Rules:

• No bullet points, no graphics, just narrative prose
• Include “verbs and sentences and topic sentences and complete paragraphs”
• Authors’ names never appear on the memos - it’s from the whole team
• Force yourself to connect ideas with “because,” “therefore,” and “as a result”

Logistics (The Easy Part)

Before the meeting:

• Don’t send the memo in advance. These summaries are largely distributed on paper for in person meetings, and are never distributed in advance.
• Print copies for everyone (yes, actual paper)
• Block out 90 minutes minimum - 30 for reading, 60 for discussion
• Make sure the room is quiet and distraction-free

During the meeting:

• Hand out the memo when people walk in
• Set a timer for 30 minutes
• Enforce the silence - no exceptions
• After reading time, start with clarifying questions
• Then open it up for real discussion

Why This Actually Works

It exposes bad thinking: Logical inconsistencies or haphazard ideas are much more obvious when put into writing than they are in a PowerPoint presentation. You can’t hide behind flashy animations when you have to explain your logic in full sentences.

It forces deep preparation: Writing a coherent 6-page narrative makes you think through every aspect of your proposal. If you wish to persuade the reader, you have to articulate your thoughts between the topics, make the narrative clear to follow, and go deep when explaining details.

It keeps discussions focused: Instead of interrupting on slide 3 to ask about something that’s covered on slide 6, everyone has the full context before the discussion starts.

The Reality Check

Look, this process isn’t magic. It can take weeks to write a good memo, and some people will hate the change. When you introduce something new to others, people will fight it. It is in our nature.

But here’s what happens when you stick with it: Your meetings actually accomplish something. Decisions get made based on complete information. Bad ideas get killed before they waste months of engineering time. Good ideas get the resources they need.

Bottom Line

Amazon’s meeting process works because it forces everyone to do the hard work upfront - the thinking, the writing, the reading. Bezos calls it “the smartest thing we ever did” for a reason.

If your current meetings feel like time-wasting PowerPoint parades, try the 6-page approach. Yes, it’s more work upfront. Yes, people will complain. But you’ll make better decisions faster, and isn’t that the whole point of having a meeting in the first place?

The memo forces you to think. The silent reading ensures everyone’s prepared. The discussion that follows is where the real work happens. Everything else is just corporate theater.