Jeff Bezos approaches meetings with a focus on clarity and deep engagement. At the New York Times DealBook Summit 2024, Bezos told journalist and financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin he considers himself a “wanderer,” applying this mindset to meetings. He starts with detailed six-page memos, allows silent reading time, and fosters open, messy discussions to explore diverse opinions. Bezos is punctual only for his first meeting of the day, as he refuses to end a meeting “until it’s really finished,” valuing thoroughness and authentic exploration.

I try to let meetings wander. Some meetings, like a weekly business review, follow a set pattern and can be crisp with an agenda—that’s a different kind of meeting. But for most useful meetings, we start with a six-page memo, take a half-hour to study it, and then have a messy discussion. I want those memos to be like angels singing from on high—clear and beautiful—so the meeting itself can get messy. I don’t want everything figured out and neatly presented. I want to see the ugly bits, be part of the sausage-making. I always ask, ‘Are there any dissenting opinions?’ I want to get to the controversy.