Why do you want to join Amazon?

Updated May 18, 2026

Short answer

Anchor your answer in Amazon's Leadership Principles — especially Customer Obsession and Ownership — and connect them to how you already work. Mention the scale, the bias for action, and a specific space (AWS, retail, devices) that genuinely excites you.

Deep explanation

Amazon expects you to know and embody the Leadership Principles.

Customer Obsession: Show you start from the customer and work backwards — give a quick example.
Ownership: Talk about wanting an environment where builders own outcomes end to end.
Scale & ambiguity: Express comfort with high-ambiguity, high-impact problems.
Specificity: Reference a concrete org (e.g., AWS Lambda, Prime) and why it fits you. Map your story to the principles explicitly.

Real-world example

"In my last role I rebuilt an export feature by interviewing customers first rather than just raising a timeout — that working-backwards instinct is exactly the Customer Obsession Amazon is built on. I want to do that at AWS scale, where the ownership model means I'd own a service end to end."

Common mistakes

- Not referencing the Leadership Principles at all
- Listing principles by name without a story that demonstrates them
- Compensation-first motivation
- Generic answer that could apply to any company

Follow-up questions

Which Leadership Principle resonates with you most, and why?
Tell me about a time you were customer-obsessed.
How do you feel about working in a high-ambiguity environment?