August 12: Lunch and Learns at Amazon

A Lunch and Learn is a team meeting to explore an idea with a colleague who is a subject-matter expert.

Source: Fact of the Day 1 interview with Jaso Sorenson
Published: March 2021

Lunch and Learns at Amazon

A Lunch and Learn is a team meeting to explore an idea with a colleague who is a subject-matter expert. Jaso Sorenson, Senior Principal Engineer at Amazon, hosts optional Lunch and Learns to encourage information sharing and provide opportunities for his team to learn and be curious.

The rules of Jaso’s Lunch and Learns:

1. The presenter(s) do NO prep. 

2. We cover what we cover. There’s no content we need to get through.

3. We won’t record meetings.

4. Meetings are 60 minutes and happen every 2 weeks.

5. We stop at one hour, sharp.

6. Any area of the product/business can and should be covered.

7. If the value of the meetings is low, then we’ll stop them.

“I tell presenters not to look at presenting as a curriculum or syllabus but as a friendly hallway conversation with your 100 closest friends.” 

- Jaso Sorenson

Editor’s note: want to encourage information sharing between your colleagues? Consider hosting your own Lunch and Learn and coming up with your own rules.