Admirable, certainly. It's nice to see a CEO who is keen to experience his business from every angle.<p>From observing the workplace of my girlfriend, who has recently worked in retail for a large, national corporation, I can tell that the particular company she works for definitely doesn't. Very often they get instructions about how to rearrange the sales floor that anyone actually working there with the customers would never in a million years think was a good idea -- usually, a few weeks later, they're told to change back to what they were doing. My guess is that's how it goes in most big companies. Eventually, the suits don't touch the nitty gritty parts of the business, and they end up getting way out of touch.<p>That said, I doubt if Bezos, by virtue of the fact that everyone will know who he is, will run into the rumored "sweatshop" conditions at some Amazon distro centers (if those rumors are at all true, which is impossible for anyone who hasn't worked in one to say): <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10123835-93.html" rel="nofollow">http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10123835-93.html</a><p>EDIT: Also, does Jeff Bezos have a blog? His is one I would really love to read.
Yes! This is what more CEOs of large companies need to do. If you are a CEO, you need to understand what is going on in the company first hand, not by playing whisper down the lane with the chain of command. (This is my philosophy, hopefully reality one day.)
Here's an interesting example of the insights and changes he's made as a result his time spent at the fulfillment centers.<p><a href="http://www.shmula.com/987/jeff-bezos-5-why-exercise-root-cause-analysis-cause-and-effect-ishikawa-lean-thinking-six-sigma" rel="nofollow">http://www.shmula.com/987/jeff-bezos-5-why-exercise-root-cau...</a>
From the stories I've read over the years on Jeff Bezos, this is perfectly in line with his management style and persona. If it was anyone else I would probably questions motives a bit more, but this seems to simply be wanting to experience the work and environment on the ground level. Its gaining valuable perspective that helps effective CEOs run their companies better.
I think this is a pretty interesting gesture. It is possible that Mr. Bezos will learn something that will help him improve working conditions and efficiency within the company. But who will be the CEO while he is busy working in the distribution center? It seems like an inefficient use of his time. Does this show a lack of faith in lower management?