The Peterman Pod Amazon VP On Promotions, Getting Fired Twice, Working With Bezos | Ethan Evans
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Aug 1, 2025 
Ethan Evans, an Amazon VP with a remarkable journey from being fired twice to leading over 800 engineers, shares key lessons from his career. He discusses the importance of soft skills and how they shaped his promotions at Amazon. Insightful tales about working with Jeff Bezos and Andy Jassy reveal contrasting leadership styles. He also dives into Amazon's performance management practices, including stack ranking and the complexities of performance reviews, offering valuable advice for aspiring leaders and reflections for his younger self.
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Polite Persuasion Wins Promotions
- Ethan earned his director promotion by taking a risky project against advice and delivering success.
- He politely pressured his boss, presenting his career importance to secure the promotion.
Promotion Rewards Pushiness
- Managers often promote those who push hard even if it means giving in to subtle pressure.
- Quiet, patient high performers may lose out on promotions to assertive colleagues.
Promotion Missed Due to Ignorance
- Ethan made a deal with a star engineer for promotion but missed critical timings due to ignorance.
- The engineer left, costing a year, but both moved on successfully from the mishap.