Harnessing the Power: An Interview with Jeffrey Wang on Amplitude's Cultural Values

At Amplitude, we understand that our people power our remarkable achievements. I got to sit down with Jeffrey Wang, Amplitude’s Co-Founder and Chief Architect, for an enlightening discussion about the profound connection between our established cultural values and our investment in our employees. Join me as we explore Jeffrey's insights into the way our values have helped make Amplitude the powerhouse it is today.

The foundation of greatness: Putting people first

In our conversation, Jeffrey emphasized that at Amplitude, we wholeheartedly believe that our people are the driving force behind our remarkable achievements. “If you believe that people are the biggest lever for success, then you should design the organization around bringing in great people, helping them become even better, and having them work successfully together,” he says.

Defining our cultural values: Humility, ownership, and growth mindset

During our interview, Jeffrey recalled the early days of Amplitude when the team realized the need to be explicit about our values as we grew. He shares, “We split up into four or five groups and independently brainstormed the things about working at Amplitude that felt unique and that we wanted to keep long term.”This collaborative process identified three cultural values: humility, ownership, and growth mindset.

Amplitude's early days—holding a team offsite to build the foundation for our cultural values.

The power of humility, ownership, and a growth mindset

Jeffrey and I dove deeper into each value and their impact. Regarding humility, he emphasizes, “If everyone, and especially the leaders, shows vulnerability and act humbly, that brings out the best in people, allowing them to be their true selves and find the best solution without politics.”

Ownership is another critical value at Amplitude. Jeffrey observes that, “the people who have an outsized impact on the company are those who understand what the company needs and make decisions in a way that optimizes for that rather than their personal or team success.” As he sees it, a sense of ownership fuels the passion and commitment of our Ampliteers.

A growth mindset, the third value we discussed, is a game-changer in a rapidly changing business landscape. As Jeffrey explains: “Being resistant to change is one of the easiest ways to fail at a startup because the needs of the business are rapidly changing all the time. That's why a growth mindset, or the willingness to embrace change and learn to be better, is such a critical value.” Our collective growth mindset drives innovation and fuels our ability to adapt and thrive, he notes.

Amplitude continues to embrace the cultural values of humility, ownership, and growth mindset.

Living our values in action

Amplitude’s cultural values come alive through the actions and achievements of our Ampliteers, Jeffrey believes.

Humility fosters a culture of continuous improvement and growth. Jeffrey proudly shares, “We're transparent to the whole company about hitting/missing our goals and lean in on our weaknesses instead of covering them up.”

Ownership extends beyond individual roles and responsibilities; Ampliteers proactively seek solutions that align with the company’s goals, going above and beyond to make an impact. As Jeffrey puts it, “The best engineers proactively try to figure out what is going to help us close deals, regardless of how ‘fun’ the engineering problem is.”

Growth mindset is the lifeblood of our organization, Jeffrey says. He points to the willingness of our team to embrace change, learn from failures, and seize new opportunities. As Jeffrey notes, “Many of the best leaders of new functions at Amplitude are inexperienced in the role but succeed due to having a growth mindset and learning incredibly quickly.”

We love recognizing our Ampliteers! Here, we're celebrating the folks who closed a new enterprise deal.

Sustaining our values: A commitment to growth

In our interview, Jeffrey highlighted the importance of sustaining our cultural values as we grow. We discussed the significance of continuous reminders and recognition to keep our values alive and vibrant. Jeffrey shared, "One is to remind everyone often about what the values are. Our quarterly values recognition is one mechanism for that." Additionally, we explored the critical role of cultural alignment in our hiring process, ensuring that new team members align with our values and contribute to our shared purpose. Jeffrey emphasized the need for this cultural alignment, stating, "We'll always pass on a promising executive hire if they're not culturally aligned with us."

Looking ahead

As we continue to nurture our culture, we are dedicated to finding innovative ways to scale our values and foster a sense of belonging.

At Amplitude, we firmly believe that culture is not just a buzzword—it is the essence of who we are. Through our values of humility, ownership, and growth mindset, we engineer a culture that empowers our Ampliteers to thrive, collaborate, and achieve remarkable success. As Jeffrey reminds us, "Culture is everything." Our unwavering commitment to these values fuels our continued growth and positions us for an extraordinary future.