Working Backwards

Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon

Bill Carr author Colin Bryar author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Pan Macmillan

Published:18th Aug '22

£10.99

Available for immediate dispatch.

Working Backwards cover

An insider's view of Amazon, perfect for leaders who want to succeed in 21st-century business.

An insider’s view of Amazon, perfect for leaders who want to succeed in 21st-century business.

‘Essential for any leader in any industry’ – Kim Scott, bestselling author of Radical Candor

Working Backwards gives an insider’s account of Amazon’s approach to culture, leadership and best practices from two long-time, top-level Amazon executives.

Colin Bryar and Bill Carr joined Amazon in the late 90s. Their time at the company covered a period of unmatched innovation that brought products and services – including Kindle, Amazon Prime, Amazon Echo and Alexa, and Amazon Web Services – to life. Through the story of these innovations they reveal the principles and practices that drive Amazon’s success.

Through their wealth of experience they offer unprecedented access to the ‘Amazon way’ as it was refined, articulated and proven to be repeatable, scalable and adaptable. Working Backwards shows how success is not achieved by the genius of any single leader, but rather through commitment to and execution of a set of well-defined, rigorously executed principles and practices that you can apply at your own company, no matter the size.

Working Backwards should be read by anyone interested in the real thing – the principles, processes and practices of twenty-first-century management and leadership’ – Forbes

‘Gives us the story as it developed at the time – and that is probably worth the cover price of the book in itself’ – Financial Times

Colin Bryar and Bill Carr dive deep into how Amazon has become the company to study if you want to succeed in 21st-century business. -- Tim O'Reilly, owner of O'Reilly Media
For those looking to change the world in ways (very) large and small via innovation and business, my strong recommendation is to dive deeply into Working Backwards . . . I anticipate Working Backwards to quickly become required reading in board rooms and classrooms around the world -- Jason Kilar, CEO of WarnerMedia
Colin Bryar and Bill Carr have operationalized the core management practices that lie behind Amazon's success . . . You'll want to have your highlighter ready and keep this book close at hand for quick reference. -- Kim Scott, bestselling author of Radical Candor
Leaders who want to foster customer obsession and drive operational excellence within their organizations should read this book. -- Jim Whitehurst, President, IBM
A must-read for every entrepreneur or business leader focused on driving growth. -- Mariana Garavaglia, Chief People & Business Operations Officer, Peloton
Colin and Bill have captured the essence of what it means at Amazon to start with the customer and work backwards. -- Serguei Netessine, Vice Dean and Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The Wharton School
Working Backwardsshould be read by anyone interested in the real thing – the principles, processes and practices of 21st-century management and leadership * Forbes *
Rather like a potted business school case-study, this book gives us the story as it developed at the time – and that is probably worth the cover price of the book in itself -- Financial Times
This book reads like a how-to guide, which perhaps is by design? -- Associated Press
Rather than offering a dull catalog of the company’s 14 Leadership Principles and three implementation mechanisms, Mr Bryar and Mr Carr provide concrete and accessible examples of how these are put into practice across a range of functions, from hiring and communications to organizational and product design. -- New York Times

ISBN: 9781529033847

Dimensions: 197mm x 130mm x 19mm

Weight: 218g

304 pages