Jeff Bezos' bizarre two-pizza rule to stop Amazon employees from time-wasting

Jeff Bezos' Amazon has a two-pizza per team rule and it's not because he's got everyone on a fad diet - there's a unique reason behind the decision.

The billionaire has put the rule in place himself and you might be wondering why on Earth he's decided to cap delicious pizza for those who work for the company.

Let’s be honest, two pizzas per team is like giving everyone a taste of heaven and then telling them there's nothing more left for them to enjoy.

If I'm having a mozzarella pizza (with extra, extra cheese), I'm demolishing the entire bad boy on my own, and there's not going to be any guilt afterwards.

But the two pizza rule initially appears bizarre at best.

Jeff Bezos's pizza rule is there for a good reason (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

For example, is there a reason for this beyond the amount of pizza being capped? Are you only allowed two toppings, standard crust, a medium, and one slice each?

All very important details to debilitate over, but while we can’t tell you what exactly these pizzas entail, we can tell you that the rule has often been described as one of Bezos' many 'keys' to success.

It's actually quite simple - the theory goes that every team at Amazon should be small enough that it can only be fed with two pizzas, supposedly to help ensure a team’s maximum efficiency.

It's particularly used across Amazon’s Web Services, and the logic goes that a smaller team is more likely to stay focused, have a clearer idea of what they’re supposed to do each day, and waste less time in meetings by virtue of always being in contact with each other.

According to an actual website by Amazon’s Web Services that details the ins and outs of the pizza rule, a smaller team can also lead to an increase in individual productivity.

This means you’re less likely to rely on your teammates throughout the day and more so on yourself to be the best, most productive version of yourself to get the work done each day.

Now you’re probably asking yourself - how many people do two pizzas actually feed?

Could you share two pizzas between a whole team? (Getty Stock Image)

Well, apparently these teams consist of ten people or less.

If a team ever starts growing beyond that, Amazon will create a whole other two-pizza team with a different objective to ensure that everyone stays laser-focused.

All of this is an effort to ensure that each team spends more time with customers, knowing exactly what they need and how to improve Amazon’s services on their behalf.

Now in Bezos' defense, the two-pizza system does make some sense, but there are too many loopholes in the metrics of the pizza itself.

Are the team members supposed to feel full after? If so, has he considered that one person can body one pizza by themselves if it’s just that kind of day?

Anyhow, it seems there was method to the madness.

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