Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has advice for business leaders in the US as tariffs hit the market: maintain customer focus despite growing tariff and geopolitical uncertainties, he said during Tuesday’s Harvard Business Review Leadership Summit.
“Stay focused,” Jassy advised CEOs navigating the current economic landscape. “You can get distracted by, you know, are there going to be tariffs? How high are the tariffs? Are there not going to be tariffs? What do other countries’ relationships look like with these countries?”
How Jassy says executives can navigate Trump’s tariff
The Amazon chief acknowledged the challenging business environment created by President Trump’s administration, which has implemented tariffs up to 245% on certain Chinese imports and 10% on goods from most other countries.
“The number of things going on around the world and within the US right now can be dizzying,” Jassy said.
Despite these challenges, Jassy emphasized that companies must fulfill their core mission regardless of external pressures. “At the end of the day, we have a job to do, which is to figure out what customers want and then to go deliver it for them.”
Even Amazon has faced political friction recently, denying reports it would list tariff contributions to pricing after White House criticism called such a move “hostile and political.”
Jassy tells business leaders to prioritise what you can control
Jassy acknowledged the difficulty in maintaining focus amid such uncertainty but stressed the importance of concentrating on controllable factors. “Leaders need to remember what matters most in those moments,” he said.
The tech executive explained Amazon’s internal approach: “We’re here to make customers’ lives easier and better.” By prioritizing customer needs over market noise, Jassy believes companies position themselves for success.
“By and large, if you stay focused on the issues you know customers care about, you will do right by your customers, and you just will start a much-higher starting spot,” Jassy concluded.
