Q&A with Ari Silkey, GM, of NA Surface Transportation

Ari, What is your favorite Amazon memory?

My favorite Amazon memory is when we launched the Amazon Relay app in October 2017. It was a critical business need as we were scaling the Surface Transportation business and had a very aggressive timeline to launch before Peak. From coming up with the branding and naming, to reviewing product requirements and user experience, as well as ensuring a robust quality assurance process, the very new Minneapolis based tech and product teams rallied to the challenge and launched on schedule. Getting the driver experience right and meeting the business requirements in a compressed timeline was challenging and required a lot of hard work, trade-offs and flawless execution. I’m super proud of the result and the Relay app continues to be highly rated (4.7 stars in the Apple app store) and is a critical component of how we run our transportation network.

What accomplishment(s) at Amazon are you most proud of?

Sustainability is an important element of how we design our transportation network, including a clear vision towards achieving our Amazon 2040 Climate Pledge goals. We have a long way to go, but I am super proud of the progress we have made in incorporating CNG trucks and fueling infrastructure into our network, as well as Electric Vehicle (EV) yard hostlers at many of our buildings with charging stations. Growing and scaling our transportation network, while implementing sustainable transportation solutions, has taken a lot of innovation and some hard judgement calls, but the impact has been important and significant in our long term impact on the environment. We are committed to meeting our sustainability goals and we will continue to innovate on solutions that reduce carbon and can scale in our transportation network.

What is something you have done in your Amazon career you would consider to be Innovative or Pioneering?

When we designed our transportation network, we saw an opportunity to diversify how we move freight. This includes not only the different modes of transportation (truck vs rail), but also how we engage with the supply of trucking capacity either directly with our own drivers, trucks, and trailers, or through a third party. In the past seven years, as we scaled rapidly, we had to deal with both capacity and performance challenges in our network. One of the ways we solved this was to develop our own Amazon trailer fleet. We now have 50k+ Amazon trailers in our network to support the capacity we need in our network, and those trailers are pulled by a variety of different trucks across our diverse carrier partners, all powered by technology to optimize the performance of the assets and the network.

What excites you about the organization you lead and the responsibilities of your position?

I’m excited about being able to innovate at scale in a business that is ripe for innovation. Technology in the the trucking industry is improving the driver experience, makes it possible to deliver items more effectively, and has a positive influence on sustainability. Although we have come a long way, there is still a long way to go. I find it incredibly thrilling that technology is allowing us to re-imagine entire industries.

What do you do for fun to keep a solid work-life balance?

My wife and two kids (12 and 14 years old) keep me pretty occupied outside of work. I spend a lot of time cheering on my kids aspiring athletic careers at football games and swimming meets, as well as, helping to coach and train on the weekends. I personally enjoy playing hockey (outdoors on a pond, the Minnesota way), as well as, nice long weekend motorcycle rides during the summer. This is a great way for me relax and just enjoy life.

What is your favorite Amazon Leadership Principle and why?

I would have to say that the leadership principle that speaks to me the most is Bias for Action. I say this because going swiftly in the right path frequently has a greater impact than moving slowly and perfectly. Speed is important in business and often the first movers in a space learn faster and make a bigger impact.

Best place you have ever traveled and why? Costa Rica due to it’s relaxing culture, breath taking volcanoes and impressive beaches. I also enjoy the adventure of navigating the terrain and challenging roads to get to remote destinations that often don’t have cell reception (aka no work emails).

Amazing Thank you for sharing your Amazon Story with us, Ari!!