In a direct challenge to the popular narrative of the young, college-dropout founder, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos advises aspiring entrepreneurs to first gain several years of experience at a successful, well-established company before launching their own venture. Speaking at Italian Tech Week, Bezos argued that acquiring this practical knowledge doesn’t delay success but instead significantly increases the probability of building a thriving business.
The Case For Corporate Experience
Bezos urges young professionals to seek out roles where they can learn foundational business practices from the inside. “I always advise young people to work for a company that applies best practices, a place where you can learn a lot of the basics, like how to hire well, how to conduct interviews,” he stated.
According to Bezos, the lessons learned within a great company are invaluable and directly applicable to a future startup. He believes that while stories of entrepreneurs finding billion-dollar success right out of university are inspiring, they are “exceptional” cases. The reality, he notes, is that the vast majority of venture-backed startups fail, and those that succeed are often led by more experienced founders.
Data Backs The Experienced Founder
Recent research validates Bezos’s perspective. A 2021 analysis by TechCrunch of over 150 Y Combinator founders whose companies reached unicorn status found their average age at founding was just over 28. A broader 2019 study from MIT revealed that the average age of founders of the top 0.1% fastest-growing startups in the United States was 45.
Michael Seibel, a partner at Y Combinator and co-founder of Twitch, echoed this sentiment, advising potential founders not to feel pressured to start young. “My best advice is to move to a tech hub… and work at a tech company until you can save money, form a team of suitable colleagues, or discover a problem you are passionate about solving,” he wrote.
Bezos’s Own Journey to Amazon
Bezos’s own career is a testament to his advice. He was 30 years old when he launched Amazon. After graduating from Princeton University in 1986, he worked at a telecom startup called Fitel, then joined Bankers Trust as a product manager, and eventually became a vice president at the hedge fund D. E. Shaw.
He credits his time at D. E. Shaw as being pivotal. Tasked with exploring untapped opportunities on the nascent internet, he discovered a statistic showing that internet usage was growing at 2,300% annually. This discovery, combined with the extensive knowledge he had gained across three different companies, provided him with a much stronger foundation for success than if he had started a decade earlier. “I think those extra ten years of experience actually improved the chances of Amazon’s success,” Bezos remarked.
Implications for the MENA Startup Ecosystem
Bezos’s advice is particularly resonant within the rapidly maturing MENA tech landscape. As the ecosystem evolves beyond early-stage ventures, the value of deep industry knowledge and operational experience becomes a critical differentiator. Founders who have spent time in established corporations, whether local or international, often bring a sophisticated understanding of market dynamics, corporate governance, and scaling strategies.
This experience can be instrumental in navigating the region’s diverse regulatory environments, building robust teams, and securing institutional funding. The trend of seasoned professionals leaving corporate careers to launch startups in sectors like FinTech, HealthTech, and Logistics across the GCC and North Africa underscores the competitive advantage that prior experience provides.
About Amazon
Amazon is a multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as “one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world” and is one of the world’s most valuable brands. Amazon is known for its disruption of well-established industries through technological innovation and mass scale.
Source: Rowad Al Aamal
