- Jamie Siminoff is back at Amazon running the Ring business he founded. He's making big changes.
- Siminoff recently mandated that staff show how they use AI when applying for promotions.
- This applies to Ring and some other Amazon units including Blink and Sidewalk.
To get ahead at Ring and other Amazon smart-home businesses, you'll need to show your AI chops.
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff, who also oversees Amazon's Blink security cameras, Key in-home delivery service, and Sidewalk wireless network, announced on Wednesday that all promotion applications at his RBKS organization must now explain how employees are using AI at work.
Siminoff, who returned to Amazon in April after a 2-year hiatus, said the new policy aims to reward "innovative thinking" and reinforce a culture of speed and efficiency.
"When we combine innovative technology with our missions, we create something truly special," Siminoff wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by Business Insider.
A Ring spokesperson told BI the changes only apply to Amazon's RBKS employees, and not the rest of the company.
The change underscores a growing trend among tech companies to incorporate AI use into their talent-evaluation process.
Shopify announced in April that managers must prove AI couldn't do a job better before hiring anyone new. Microsoft is asking some managers to evaluate employees based on how they use internal AI tools. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, meanwhile, warned last month that AI will reduce the company's workforce because of efficiency gains.
Siminoff, in his email, said employees seeking a promotion must now describe how they have used generative AI or other AI technologies to improve customer experience or increase operational efficiency. They are also asked to cite specific AI projects they've worked on and the measurable impact achieved.
Those in management positions are also required to show how they used AI tools to accomplish "more with less," while reducing or not growing headcount, according to the email.
"In the spirit of Day 1 culture, we will keep learning, iterating and improving this," Siminoff wrote.
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