Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?

What You Need to Know
Entry Level Example
Answer Example

This is a common question Jeff Bezos has asked his candidates, and he uses it to identify his superstars. He has stated in interviews that the ideas we come up with are often ideas others have already come up with and are doing well. But those who have original innovative ideas and act on them invent and simplify. This is the core of one of their leadership principles: "Leaders are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by 'not invented here.' As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time." So this question aims to assess how in line you are with this leadership principle and how you would embrace it if given the opportunity.

"An affordable 3D printer model, where instead of having a product shipped to you, you could order it, and it would be delivered right to your 3D printer. If Amazon could offer an affordable desktop printer that was proprietary to their customers, that would be amazing, and that would be the project I would want to spearhead."

"I call it Holoview. It would be like zoom or FaceTime, but a hologram. A person would be recreated in the room with you as if they were there. The AI of the algorithm could use two cameras to make it seem as if this person was hanging out with you while you met with them. Or perhaps another approach would be the screen you were speaking with was a 3D representation of the person you were talking to, so it felt more like you were looking through a window, and the person was really in the room with you."

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How to Answer: Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Amazon job interview.

22. Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?

What You Need to Know

This is a common question Jeff Bezos has asked his candidates, and he uses it to identify his superstars. He has stated in interviews that the ideas we come up with are often ideas others have already come up with and are doing well. But those who have original innovative ideas and act on them invent and simplify. This is the core of one of their leadership principles: "Leaders are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by 'not invented here.' As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time." So this question aims to assess how in line you are with this leadership principle and how you would embrace it if given the opportunity.

Written by Kevin Downey on January 25th, 2023

Entry Level Example

"An affordable 3D printer model, where instead of having a product shipped to you, you could order it, and it would be delivered right to your 3D printer. If Amazon could offer an affordable desktop printer that was proprietary to their customers, that would be amazing, and that would be the project I would want to spearhead."

Written by Kevin Downey on January 25th, 2023

Answer Example

"I call it Holoview. It would be like zoom or FaceTime, but a hologram. A person would be recreated in the room with you as if they were there. The AI of the algorithm could use two cameras to make it seem as if this person was hanging out with you while you met with them. Or perhaps another approach would be the screen you were speaking with was a 3D representation of the person you were talking to, so it felt more like you were looking through a window, and the person was really in the room with you."

Written by Kevin Downey on January 25th, 2023

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