Jeff Bezos always has one empty chair at Amazon meetings — and why he does it makes a lot of sense

Have you ever wondered what the work culture in big corporations like Amazon is truly like, or what's the secret sauce to scaling up? Jeff Bezos, the multi-billionaire has always been forthright about the strategies and practices that he has nurtured at Amazon to have it grow into one of the five largest companies in the world. One such practice is that he always has an empty chair at all his meetings.

Sounds bizarre right? But there's actually a method to his madness. The chair reportedly is kept vacant for the 'most important person' when making business decisions— the 'customer'. Now referred to as the 'Empty Chair Theory', the strategy underlines the core principle of Amazon's business mode— to have a customer-centric approach to all their projects and goals. 

As per Mint, a source revealed, "One problem is that the customer isn't really there at every meeting. So what we like to do at every meeting is we reserve a seat for the customer.” Bezos has time and again harped that prioritizing the customers' needs is elementary for long-term success. 

The 'Empty Chair Theory' is not the only strategy Bezos employs. His method of hiring is also much talked about. Many former Amazon employees have relayed their one-of-a-kind interview experiences with Bezos that made them a part of the organization. For instance, a woman, Ann Hiatt, once shared that she was 'hired on the spot' after correctly answering two questions. While one was a simple one about her career goals, the other was to estimate the number of glass panes in the city of Seattle.

Another Amazon employee once also shared Bezos' 'Two Pizza Rule'—that the billionaire only allows teams of eight to ten members (small enough to share two pizzas) to streamline workflows. As reported by Mint, this principle helped minimize 'lines of communication' and decreased 'bureaucracy overheads' during decision-making. Additionally, Bezos also had a 'No PPT Rule' at Amazon, which was shared by the billionaire himself in his annual letter to Amazon shareholders in 2018. He elucidated that all meetings and presentations were done with structured six-page memos that everyone reads silently, making each session a study hall. 

In an interview, Bezos once also shared his hiring philosophy. The executive chairman of Amazon shared that, as the company progresses, the questions one needs to ask also changes. From figuring out the 'how' and the 'what', the company eventually has to figure out the 'who' as it gets bigger. Bezos explained that 'the 'who' was really valuable for him. He shared that he always looks for people who can "tutor him, teach him something," and this has been his golden rule for choosing leaders and also the secret to Amaon's scaling and success.