How corporate politics actually work
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Former Amazon VP Ethan Evans shares hard-won lessons on corporate politics, promotions, and career growth. Key insights include why technical excellence alone rarely drives promotions (visibility and relationships matter more), how to distinguish influence from manipulation, the difference between umbrella and funnel managers, why PIPs are effectively over before they start and what warning signs to watch for, and how the 'brilliant and blunt' engineer archetype is often a choice rather than a fixed trait. Evans also covers building relationships in remote teams and why most mentorship relationships fail after one or two meetings.
Table of contents
Auth0: First Enterprise connection is free now (Sponsored)1. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your career path, from engineer to VP at Amazon?2. When was the moment you realized that technical skill alone wasn't enough?3. Most engineers believe promotions reward the best work. What are people missing?4. You have this concept of the "polite fiction," a statement that's warm but firm, where everyone understands the real message. What is it about?5. Where is the line between manipulation and influence?6. What is the difference between an umbrella manager and a funnel manager?7. It is said that by the time a PIP starts, it's already over. What are the early warning signs that show up weeks or months before that most people miss?8. Your frameworks assume you can build champions and be likable. What's the playbook for someone who knows they'll never win on likability?9. Most of your examples come from in-person Amazon culture. How does all of this change when teams are remote and distributed?10. At the VP level, you were the one making different decisions. Did you ever catch yourself doing the exact things you now teach people to defend against?11. If you could go back and un-teach one piece of advice, something you gave that turned out to be wrong or that people consistently misapply, what would it be?Want to advertise in Tech World With Milan? 📰Love Tech World With Milan Newsletter? Tell your friends and get rewards.Sort: