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Amazon Leadership Principles

How the LP-based loop works, what each principle probes, and building an LP story matrix.

Amazon's behavioral interviews are the most structured in the industry. Every interviewer in the loop is assigned two or three Leadership Principles (LPs) to assess, and nearly every question is "Tell me about a time…". One interviewer, the Bar Raiser, comes from outside the hiring team and can veto the hire. If you prepare specifically for this format, you have a big advantage.

How the loop works

  • 4–6 interviews, each with 1–2 behavioral questions alongside the technical portion, or entirely behavioral.
  • Interviewers dig deep: expect 10–15 minutes on a single story, with follow-ups like "What did you do exactly?", "What data did you have?" and "What would you do differently?"
  • Feedback is written up per LP, and the loop compares notes in a debrief. Telling the same story to two interviewers usually counts against you, so you need a wide story bank.
  • Amazon asks for data. Answers without numbers score lower.

The principles engineers are asked about most

The list also includes Strive to be Earth's Best Employer and Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility. These are asked about less often for engineering individual contributors, but read them, since the official list is updated from time to time. Check Amazon's current Leadership Principles page before your loop.

Building an LP story matrix

  • Write down 12–15 stories. That's more than the usual 8, because you can't repeat a story in the loop.
  • Map each story to the two or three LPs it shows best.
  • Make sure every common LP has at least two stories.
  • For each story, note its numbers and its "what I'd do differently".
                         CO  OWN  DD  BfA  DR  IS  HS  BB  ET
Ledger migration          .   X    X   .    X   .   X   .   .
API error codes           X   X    .   .    .   X   .   .   .
Launch slip, cut scope    X   .    .   X    X   .   .   .   X
Disagreed on queue design .   .    X   .    .   .   .   X   X

Answering Amazon-style

  • Use STAR, with most of the time on the Action, and use "I".
  • Put numbers in the Result, and in the Situation for scale.
  • Expect to be interrupted. Interviewers steer you toward the LP they're assessing.
  • Have a second story ready. "Tell me about another time…" is common.
  • Using LP vocabulary naturally ("I wanted to dive deep before deciding…") is fine. Overdoing it sounds rehearsed.

[!INTERVIEW] The Bar Raiser The Bar Raiser often asks the hardest follow-ups and focuses on judgment: Are Right, A Lot; Have Backbone; Earn Trust. Treat the round like the others, but expect them to probe your failures and disagreements more, and to ask whether you would raise the average of the team.

[!TIP] Practice Customer Obsession · Dive Deep · Bias for Action · Invent and Simplify · Highest Standards · Frugality · Earn Trust · Think Big · Deliver Results · Are Right, A Lot · Learn and Be Curious · Hire and Develop the Best