After laying off about 14,000 employees last year, Amazon has tightened expectations for its corporate workforce by formally asking employees to list three to five concrete accomplishments from the past year as part of its annual performance review process.
According to a report by Business Insider, the company has updated its internal review system, known as Forte, requiring employees to provide specific examples of projects, goals, initiatives or process improvements that demonstrate measurable impact. Staff must also outline the actions they plan to take to continue growing at the company.
What’s changed in Amazon’s Forte reviews
Internal guidelines cited in the report note that this is the first time Amazon has explicitly structured Forte around individual accomplishments. Earlier, reviews leaned more on broader self-assessments, asking employees to describe their “super powers” or how they contribute when performing at their best.
Under the revised approach, Amazon is encouraging employees not only to highlight successes, but also to mention risks taken or innovations attempted — even if those efforts did not fully succeed.
“Accomplishments are specific projects, goals, initiatives, or process improvements that show the impact of your work,” the guideline states, adding that experimentation and learning still matter.
Why the shift matters
At Amazon, Forte plays a central role in determining compensation. Managers assess accomplishments alongside peer feedback, adherence to leadership principles and role-specific skills to arrive at an “Overall Value” rating, which influences annual pay decisions.
The move reflects CEO Andy Jassy’s broader push for discipline and accountability. Over the past year, Amazon has rolled out a return-to-office mandate, cut layers of management and reworked elements of its pay model.
Part of a wider tech trend
Amazon’s tougher stance mirrors a broader shift across Silicon Valley. Elon Musk had earlier demanded weekly accomplishment reports from employees at Twitter after its 2022 takeover. At Meta, CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared a “year of intensity”, while Google has also tightened performance expectations.
Industry observers say these moves signal a departure from softer, employee-friendly appraisal systems towards outcome-driven evaluations, as tech companies focus on efficiency, accountability and returns amid a more cautious economic climate.