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-donePodcast 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-evansThank 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) OutroWhere 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/ethanevansvpWhere 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/@ryanlpetermanReferenced 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/