If you’ve ever wondered how Amazon manages to be such a behemoth in the retail world, Jeff Bezos’ “two-pizza” rule might shed some light. Yes, it’s all about keeping things small and efficient, at least when it comes to team meetings.
Jeff Bezos is undoubtedly a guru when it comes to sculpting a thriving business landscape. Amazon doesn’t just make shopping easier; it’s a masterclass in operational efficiency, partly thanks to some unique strategies from its CEO.
One of the cornerstone philosophies Bezos employs is the ‘two-pizza’ rule. This isn’t about feeding the entire Amazon workforce with two pizzas—rather, it’s about team size. Bezos believes that a team should be small enough that two pizzas would suffice to feed everyone.
This approach is designed to maximize efficiency. Smaller teams are intended to maintain focus, streamline their daily tasks, and reduce time wasted in lengthy meetings by fostering better communication.
But let’s get real – does this strategy actually work? Alex Brown, CCO at the social-first marketing agency Campfire, definitely sees the value in this method.
In an interview with UNILAD, Brown shared insights into how his own company has adopted a similar strategy through what they call ‘client pods’. These pods are small, cross-functional teams, theoretically just the right size to share two pizzas.
“We don’t actually work in departmental teams – for example, a paid media team, influencer team – which are all larger than 10 people and, in theory, don’t meet Jeff Bezos’ two pizza rule,” Brown explained.
“We actually have smaller teams that are made up out of those teams, which all cover different bases. So there’ll be a couple of people from an influencer team, a couple of people from a paid team, one person from an accounts management team. We call those client pods, and that way, they can get to know people a lot better, you can develop relationships with those people a lot better.”
According to Brown, smaller teams not only enhance comfort but also boost creativity and connection among team members.
“You can come up with better ideas, because you’ve got that rapport,” he said. “You feel more connected to your team, and no one’s just like a face or a number or an email.
“They become much more like friends and much more like a community if you keep your tribe small.”
It’s not just the team size that Campfire has mirrored from Amazon. They also adopt Bezos’ practice of starting meetings with a clear agenda to keep them as productive as possible.
However, while the ‘two-pizza’ rule is a brilliant metaphor for keeping teams lean and agile, Brown does admit there’s a practical limit to its application—especially when it comes to actual pizza consumption.
“We can keep the teams small, but while the two pizza rule is great, people can put away a surprising amount of pizza!” he joked. “You know who you are…”