Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about Jeff Bezos’ leadership style at Amazon.com and to some extent, how involved he likes to get on certain projects. But how the Amazon founder influences The Washington Post is much more of a mystery.
However, Joey Marburger, director of digital products and design at The Post, went on a tweetstorm on Tuesday that shed some light on how Bezos was involved with the creation of the Post’s Kindle Fire app.
Bezos has made a few executive decisions since buying The Post for $250 million in October 2013, including cuts to retirement benefits and bringing on Politico co-founder Fred Ryan as a publisher.
But creating an app for consumers is certainly different. The app itself, made exclusively for the Kindle Fire, was the first partnership between Amazon and the Washington Post since Bezos bought the paper, and it’s notable as an example of Bezos blending his otherwise separate worlds — bridging the company he runs with one of his personal investments.
The app was developed by the Washington Post after Bezos introduced the Fire tablet and Post teams, according to an Amazon spokeswoman, who noted in November that Bezos “regularly interacts with the teams and makes himself available any time he is requested.”
Check out Marburger’s tweets below. Hat tip to Nieman Lab.
.@washingtonpost was named most innovative media company by @FastCompany so I thought I'd share a bit about my year. http://t.co/sAqAN49TEQ
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
I took over as design director right as Jeff Bezos bought the Post. In a few months I'd be talking to him regularly about new products.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
The first thing he told us was we should build products we love. He wanted to talk tablet. Project Rainbow was born. http://t.co/ZqxD15XIjU
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
Our task was to redefine the news tablet app experience. Nationally-focused Post content. Be simple. Be great. No noise. No pressure?
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
Our job for the next year would be interpreting Jeff and our exec team's design input. It was a grueling pace for everyone.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
Everyone was working hard but design was what everyone saw. I lived two weeks at a time hoping Jeff would like the next thing.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
I once worked all night while at a conference in Singapore to figure out a feature. It's too embarrassing to say what it was.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
My team and others went through more than 20 concept pitches until Jeff picked one half of one concept.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
That decision made me believe in Bezos. The design he picked is the core of the app you see today. http://t.co/zYw4OhdA6i
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
Quickly we started building, tweaking, experimenting. Then hiring the staff that produces the app.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
Because the app was so simple everyone wanted to add something. We protected it though. Even Jeff from his own idea at times.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
I must pause to say w/o my bosses, my team and many others we couldn't have done it. @garciaruize kept me sane.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
The award-winning journalism you see in the app and the hard work put into creating it is the new daily (twice!) miracle.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
Don't let the design focus be mistaken. The fact it is super fast. Barely any crashes. Clear editing. Presentation. Design is all of that.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
That's the shortest version of that story but that's also only the beginning of our wild year. Pt. 2 tomorrow.
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
Because during all of that we hired more than 100 people. Launched 15+ verticals. And started slow jamming a redesign. #wapoyear
— Joey Marburger (@josephjames) February 11, 2015
