Today marks my last day at AWS. The last 15 years have gone by incredibly fast. 
I fondly remember that I joined in the summer of 2006. Amazon was a much smaller company with only a few thousand employees working on software. Amazon was the underdog, non-profitable, and the stock was around $25 per share. I wish I had not taken the advice of a friend to diversify. :(
It took me some time to understand how special Amazon was. There are numerous books written about Bezos and Amazon, some of them are more fact than fiction.
There are rumors and then there are facts, and I have yet to read a true account of some of the events that occurred at Amazon. I guess that facts don’t sell as eye-catching stories. But heck, what do I know? I’m just an engineer.
I remember joining Amazon and saying I'd be there for only three years. Just enough time for me to learn and make an impact. Those three years turned into 5, and then 10, and then 15. I am asked a lot about why I stayed for that long. The answer is simple - I had the opportunity to be a builder, developing the most innovative platforms (FBA, Prime, AWS IoT) at the most innovative company of its time. The amazing growth of the company didn’t hurt either (the stock went from $25/share to over $3800/share). I'm a lifelong learner and I knew there was no better place where I could learn to effectively build teams and organizations to move fast and solve meaningful customer problems.
Looking back, I've always wanted to write about things: technology, companies that I find interesting, mistakes I’ve made, and lessons I’ve learned. However, I’ve always been cautious of what I could express as an employee of Amazon. Amazon never strictly forbids its employees from speaking about their experiences, but there was always a lack of clarity around what I could speak to as an employee. Many of my fellow colleagues have faced the same challenge. I’m no longer so cautious. It feels like it’s the right time for me to express myself and teach what I care about.
Welcome to my blog.
p.s. made the list of aws exec departures, nice to be recognized (https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-web-services-most-important-executive-departures-hires-2021-7)