A 2004 email from Jeff Bezos explains why Powerpoint presentations aren't allowed at Amazon
Anytime an Amazon worker has an idea to discuss, they're asked to structure their pitch in the form of a 4-6 page memo, which the company calls a "narrative."
They then take their pitches to team meetings, where the first 20 minutes or so are spent reading the memo. Afterwards, the presenter fields questions from the rest of the team.
It's an unconventional process, to be sure, but one that Amazon believes forces careful consideration of ideas.
In an email sent to his senior team - also known as the STeam - in 2004, Bezos explained why Amazon would no longer be using PowerPoint presentations.
Pete Abilla, an early Amazon employee and current director of digital, content, and demand generation at HireVue, shared Bezos' email in a recent post on his employer's blog.
The email was sent to the STeam on June 9, 2004, at 6:02 p.m. and had the subject line "No powerpoint presentations from now on at steam."
It reads: