Ex-Amazon VP's candid confession about betraying a junior is a management lesson no one teaches: ‘I was incompetent, not malicious'

Time of India

11 hours ago

In the pressure-cooker world of
big tech
, promotions are as much about timing as they are about talent. Former
Amazon
Vice President
Ethan Evans
has taken to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to publicly reflect on what he calls a 'dark spot' in his otherwise successful career — a moment when he inadvertently betrayed the trust of one of his top engineers.
Evans, who joined Amazon as a Senior Manager in 2005 and retired as Vice President of Prime Gaming in 2020, shared a cautionary tale from his early years at the company. At the time, he was leading a newly formed team on a critical project. Among the group was a fresh graduate — sharp, driven, and a clear standout performer. This young engineer approached Evans with a direct proposition: if he ensured the project was delivered successfully, Evans would ensure a promotion followed.
Evans agreed. The engineer delivered. But the promotion never came.
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A Startup Mindset in a Corporate Maze
What went wrong wasn't intentional sabotage. It was ignorance. Coming from the startup world, Evans assumed promotions were a simple matter of performance and verbal endorsement — just like they had been in his previous roles. He hadn't yet learned how complex Amazon's promotion process truly was.
'When we wanted to promote someone [at startups], we just gave them a new title and a raise,' Evans admitted. 'I had no understanding of Amazon's process, so I figured that when the project was over, I would talk to my boss and get the engineer promoted. I never gave it another thought because in my mind, it was as easy as that.'
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But in a company like Amazon, advancement isn't that straightforward. Promotions depend on multi-level approvals, documentation, peer reviews, and formal cycles. And as Evans soon discovered, good intentions are not enough.
The engineer, disappointed and disillusioned, handed in his resignation and made it clear why: the promise was broken.
— EthanEvansVP (@EthanEvansVP)
A Lesson in Leadership, the Hard Way
'I am the bad guy in the story,' Evans wrote candidly. 'If I could change the past, I would.'
His honest confession quickly resonated across professional circles for its vulnerability and brutal clarity. While Evans never meant to hurt his team member, he now realizes that good leadership isn't just about meeting deadlines or shipping products. It's about guiding careers — and not knowing the systems that shape them can cost you your best people.
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'I was incompetent but not malicious,' he said. 'His promotion was not top of mind for me because I thought my job was to ship software, not to grow the careers of my team members.'
The real tragedy wasn't just the missed promotion — it was the erosion of trust.
What Employees and Managers Must Take Away
Evans didn't share his story for sympathy, but as a powerful teachable moment. For employees, his advice is sobering but practical: don't assume your manager knows the promotion process. Especially in large organisations, a new or inexperienced manager can unknowingly become a barrier to your growth. Make sure your expectations are clear — in writing, if possible — and guide them through the system if they seem unfamiliar.
For managers, the message is more urgent: know the system. Your ability to support your team's growth is just as important as your ability to deliver results. 'Your employees cannot move up without your feedback and engagement,' Evans emphasized. 'Getting distracted from this element of your job has a direct, negative impact on your reports.'
Evans ends his thread on a somewhat redemptive note. The engineer who left has since found success at another prominent tech company, unaffected in the long run by Evans' failure. But the moment still lingers with the former VP.
'I'm glad my mistake did not get in the way of him having a successful career,' he said. 'Don't make my mistake.'