Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos started off his morning today by talking about innovation, customer focus and the strategy for his company’s delivery drones.
But his audience wasn’t a bunch of high-level Amazon execs. Instead, they were elementary school kids.
Bezos sat down with a group of students at the Seattle-area school where his kids attend. Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff, who keynoted our GeekWire Awards last night, was on hand — his child attends the same school — and live-tweeted some of Bezos’ comments.
Bezos spoke about a wide range of topics, from the type of employees that succeed at Amazon to the lessons he learned from his grandfather.
But it looks like the highlight of the talk, at least for the kids, was Amazon’s delivery drone. Bezos even brought one for the students to check out, and they were clearly interested:
Explaining to kids the physics behind the drone. So cool. pic.twitter.com/rnqcpF0HQi
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Bezos showing drone delivery at my son's school https://t.co/ERBhguO3hD
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Q&A from the kids for "Mister Bezos": "How does that even work?" (Pointing at the drone)
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Q: "How long until the drones will be flying around?" A: he (nicely) says it's up to the FAA not Amazon!
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Check out some of Bezos’ other comments:
1) customer focus (not competitor focus), 2) take big swings & invent, 3) have long term view. Bezos to schoolkids. pic.twitter.com/Etyi71dE51
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Who succeeds at amazon? "Explorers and pioneers". Who fails? Those who focus on killing our competitors. -Bezos
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Highest compliment to an inventor is when years later people won't believe that life existed before the invention. -Bezos
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Original business plan bears no resemblance to what Amazon became. -Bezos
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
"Become entrepreneurs, scientists, musicians" and "pick something you are passionate about". Great advice to kids. Bravo Bezos
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
Inspired by Jeff Bezos and his humility, ingenuity, and graciousness. So great that he just fired up hundreds of smart kids about tech.
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) May 9, 2014
