Is Amazon’s Culture Still Driving Success — or Driving It Off the Rails?

Let me start with a confession: I don’t usually analyze companies from the outside.

However, as I refine my Culture Roots Review, a one-day diagnostic designed to uncover what’s happening beneath the surface of organizational culture, I kept circling back to Amazon. The company with a reputation for relentless innovation and customer obsession…but also unmistakable signals of internal contradictions.

So I decided to take a closer, outsider’s view of Amazon’s culture, and I challenge you to do the same with your organization.

What Can External Signals reveal about a company's true culture?
As a cultural anthropologist, I read beyond the surface — interpreting leadership behaviors, rituals, symbols, and employee feedback to understand what’s really happening inside.

Today, I’ll share my findings on Amazon and pose a crucial question:

Is Amazon’s current way of working fueling its growth — or subtly sabotaging its long-term health?

The Double-Edged Sword of Multiple Values

Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles are ambitious and comprehensive. But there’s a catch:

Too many values create internal conflict.

Some of the principles collide in real-world decision-making, leaving employees guessing which to prioritize:

• Deliver Results or Strive to Be Earth’s Best Employer?
• Frugality or Hiring Top Talent?
• Bias for Action or Diving Deep?

Instead of guiding clarity, a long list of conflicting principles forces guesswork, eroding trust and muddying priorities.

As an anthropologist, I see this as a recipe for cultural dissonance. When values pull in different directions, it’s not just confusion. It’s a breakdown in alignment and trust.

Signals in the External World

What’s Amazon really saying with its actions, symbols, and policies? Here’s what I see:

• Values vs. Behavior: Amazon touts being Earth’s Best Employer, yet warehouse workers face relentless tracking, minimal breaks, and burnout.
• Purpose & Meaning: Is the mission to serve customers translating into meaningful work for frontline employees? Or are speed and quotas the only focus?
• Rituals & Symbols: Internal rituals like 6-page memos contrast sharply with surveillance tools, return-to-office mandates, and resistance to union efforts — sending mixed messages.
• Data Points: High turnover, low employee satisfaction scores, and ongoing labor organizing all suggest a disconnect between stated values and lived reality.
• Power Dynamics: Despite principles encouraging voice and buy-in, leadership maintains tight control, rewarding efficiency over empathy.

The Hidden Costs of Cultural Contradictions

Speed, scale, and customer satisfaction are Amazon’s strengths. But what about sustainability — of its people, its reputation, and its internal cohesion?

A culture riddled with conflicting signals may sustain short-term growth but risks long-term decline:

• Eroding employee trust
• Increased turnover
• Reputational blowback
• Stalled progress on diversity and inclusion

External behaviors reveal internal tensions. When core values aren’t aligned with day-to-day realities, the system becomes brittle which is not conducive to continued innovation and success. 

What Can Leaders Learn From Amazon — and Beyond?

You don’t need a dozen values. You need a handful of clear, authentic principles that:

• Are embedded and reinforced at every level
• Guide decision-making consistently
• Truly reflect how your organization operates

The first step? Identify what’s really happening beneath the surface. That’s where my Culture Roots Review comes in — a one-day diagnostic that identifies red flags before you are drowning with problems.

Are Hidden Disconnects Holding You Back?

If something feels “off” in your organization but you can’t pinpoint why, it’s time to look beneath the surface. The good news: You can realign your culture to support sustainable success — without a full overhaul.

Want to see what’s really going on?
Learn more here.

Ready to challenge your assumptions and uncover hidden truths?
Let’s explore how your culture can work for you, not against you.