For 20 years, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has known exactly what day it is. It’s always Day 1.
Saying it’s Day 1 at Amazon has been a mantra since Bezos’ famed letter to shareholders in 1997, in which he spelled out why the company’s focus on the long term would lead to larger success. It’s a phrase he repeats at the end of yearly letters, before attaching the 1997 letter for good measure.
And on Tuesday, he made the point yet again, raising a single finger in the air from the stage at Seattle’s Key Arena in front of a sea of employees attending the company’s all-hands meeting.
Eugene Hsu, who is president of Asians at Amazon, knows a thing or two about photography as the product and business development manager at Digital Photography Review, the site owned by Amazon.
Hsu captured the image of Bezos and shared it on Instagram on Tuesday, writing that his boss was “explaining why it’s always Day 1 at Amazon.”
Other images on Twitter showed folks in attendance and some idea of the crowd size. Even actor Tom Skerritt, who played Viper in the film “Top Gun,” made an appearance with the Amazon Military Recruiting Team.
Excited to be at Amazon all hands #Amazon pic.twitter.com/HZ1z90deWd
— Venkatraman Prabhu (@venkatprabhu88) March 14, 2017
Commander Mike Metcalf! Call sign Viper!!! #StarStruck to see @TRSkerritt at today's #Amazon All Hands!! #AmazonWarriors #TopGun #LoveHim ❤ pic.twitter.com/TfTKpmErLi
— M (@ThusSpokeLadyM) March 14, 2017
Yep that was #TomSkerritt. Check it out. #lifeatamazon pic.twitter.com/7fYMvSrx7b
— Rebecca Leonetti (@LeonettiRebecca) March 14, 2017
Pretty sure #TomSkerritt was just at my company meeting shooting a Tshirt gun to DangerZone. #amazing #lifeatamazon
— Rebecca Leonetti (@LeonettiRebecca) March 14, 2017
#PrimeNow representing at the @Amazon all hands! @martco and @JeffBezos soon. pic.twitter.com/pmOEg5ITaM
— Philip Pinette (@philiPPinette) March 14, 2017