The big news in remote working this month was the memo Amazon CEO, Andy Jassy, sent out last week mandating that all employees return to the office five days a week. The memo mentioned “culture” repeatedly (11 times to be exact) and cited “strengthening the culture” as the driving force behind the decision.
It seems Jassy wants to go back to the “Day 1” mentality Bezos was known for, aiming to “operate like the world’s largest startup.” The problem? Culture doesn’t magically change because you get people into a building.
Culture isn’t about the walls you’re in, it’s about what happens with the people between them.
Looking at Amazon’s reputation, it’s hard not to think that this mandate isn’t about culture at all but control. In our efficiency-obsessed world, it’s tempting to equate presence with performance. But if Amazon was truly focused on cultivating a passionate startup culture, they wouldn’t need to drag people back to the office to do it. A startup culture (or any culture for that matter) transcends physical boundaries. It’s in how people think, what they believe in, and how they interact—whether they’re in a cubicle or on a Zoom call.
The answer to getting different outcomes isn’t mandates, it’s shared norms. And it’s hard not to believe Amazon will remain hard-charging and transactional whether its people are tethered to a desk or a computer.
They could design for digital belonging, but they’re choosing to take a different route. Chances are, they’re not thinking about it intentionally in the office either.
To have a startup Day 1 culture, perhaps they need more unproductive employees, not fewer? Sometimes the secret sauce isn’t found in cramming more into the day and monitoring people around the clock, but in the spaces between. In the “unproductive” coffee chats or the meandering conversations while walking the dog.
At Gapingvoid, we “waste” three hours weekly, bringing everyone in our company together digitally to learn, develop, and connect. Inefficient? Maybe. Our competitive edge? Absolutely.
Don’t get us wrong, we love in person collaboration as much as the next person. But the point for Amazon is that culture isn’t built solely around place. It’s built on purpose. The hard part is designing an environment – virtual or physical – where contribution is guaranteed but not obligatory. Where idea flow is the natural byproduct of passionate people loyal to a shared vision.
Jassy’s memo got one thing right: “Keeping your culture strong is not a birthright. You have to work at it all the time.” Amen. But it’s not about where we are when we work, but why we do it. Are we building a culture of begrudging badge-ins or one of unlimited possibility? The choice is ours. And there’s no commute required.
