Amazon VP: Questions On Corporate Politics But They Get Increasingly Darker | Ethan Evans

In this episode, I asked Ethan Evans (ex-Amazon VP) questions about common situations in corporate politics but they get increasingly darker.

• My ergonomic keyboard project I mentioned, you can follow along here: https://read.compose.llc/
• The Kickstarter page for it: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryanlpeterman/compose-simple-ergonomics-beautifully-done

Podcast links:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhjhRRz3VJw
• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peterman-pod/id1777363835
• Transcript: https://www.developing.dev/p/e068-ethan-evans

Thank you to this episode's sponsor for supporting my work:
• WorkOS: makes your app Enterprise Ready with easy to use APIs to add SSO, SCIM, RBAC, and more in just a few lines of code, check them out at https://workos.com/

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:42) How to receive credit for your work
(19:18) Ways for quiet people to get visibility
(21:32) How to be trusted for top projects
(29:52) How to defend from others taking your project
(36:13) How to reject bad projects
(44:10) How to be first for promo
(55:35) How to handle managers that dislike career growth talk
(01:06:30) What if your manager is in the way
(01:15:43) Did he ever have overly political reports
(01:28:06) How to fire a bad manager
(01:35:16) What gives you leverage
(01:43:41) How to defend against peers undermining you
(01:50:24) What if everyone is good at politics
(01:55:11) How Jeff Bezos burned him for empire building
(02:03:27) How to retain your headcount
(02:07:31) Career recommendations for the current landscape
(02:15:11) How to avoid negative layoff optics
(02:18:39) How to develop executive presence
(02:29:25) How to network in a natural way
(02:33:30) How to network with powerful people
(02:41:01) How to learn hidden incentives
(02:44:43) What happens behind the scenes with HR
(02:50:13) Did he burn people to get ahead
(02:53:24) What he says to people who hate politics
(02:59:03) Top book recommendations on power dynamics
(03:00:45) How he would speedrun career growth today
(03:06:56) Outro

Where to find Ethan:
• Personal website: https://www.ethanevans.com/
• Newsletter: https://levelupwithethanevans.substack.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EthanEvansVP
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/EthanEvansVP
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ethanevansvp

Where to find Ryan:
• Newsletter: https://www.developing.dev/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ryanlpeterman
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlpeterman/
• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ryanlpeterman
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanlpeterman
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ryanlpeterman

Referenced in this episode:
• Never Split the Difference: https://www.blackswanltd.com/never-split-the-difference
• Leadership and Self-Deception: https://arbinger.com/bookstore/leadership-and-self-deception
• The 48 Laws of Power: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/330912/the-48-laws-of-power-by-robert-greene/