The goodbye mail to the Alexa Smart Home team explains it all pretty well:
Date: Apr 27, 2018 3:03 PM
Subject: Smart Home Org UpdateTeam,
With mixed emotions I share the news that Charlie Kindel has decided to leave Amazon. Charlie has accomplished many things in his time here, not the least of which is the founding and scaling of Alexa Smart Home. Alexa would not be the leader in Smart Home that it is without his vision, leadership, and hard work – he will be deeply missed. Charlie prepared the short FAQ found below to share his thinking with the Smart Home team. In Charlie’s own words…
1. Why are you leaving Amazon?
The pace of the past 5 years has finally gotten to me and I simply need to catch my breath. I’ve recently been joking with folks that “I used to get my adrenaline rush going heli-skiing. Now I just go into work.” I have a car restoration project that is two years behind schedule. My home automation system needs a complete revamp (it’s gotten a bit crusty since it was installed in 2001).
2. Why leave Amazon and not just go on a leave?
I was originally just going to take a temporary leave, but I like the idea of having total freedom of thought to decide what’s next in my life. By making a clean break from Amazon all options (including coming back to Amazon) are still on the table.
3. What are you going to do?
Relax and goof off. I will clean my home office which is a freaking mess and work on car projects. I am hiring a CEDIA-level installer to completely refit my home automation system and I will project manage that. I hope to enjoy the awesome summer we’re about to have in Seattle with my family (both of my adult kids will be living in the Seattle area starting this summer). Professionally, I don’t know what’s next.
I will miss you all! Please don’t hesitate to keep in touch; my personal email is charlie(at)kindel.com.
Other questions I’m sure people have:
What are you going to miss the most about Amazon?
I’m going to miss the people. The Alexa Smart Home team is an incredible team that I was blessed to have built from the ground up. I’ve had so much fun watching so many people grow in their careers and it’s going to suck not being able to be around them day-to-day as they continue to flourish.
I’m also going to miss Amazon’s high standards. I’m skeptical I’ll find another environment where the drive for “raising the bar” is so consistent and strong. Wherever I go next, you can be sure I’ll be taking this with me:
Insist on the highest standards
Leaders have relentlessly high standards—many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and driving their teams to deliver high-quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.
— from the Amazon Leadership Principles
What are you going to miss the least?
Leaving the house at 6:00am to beat Seattle traffic and returning home at 6:30pm every day. Although, I have to say, I did enjoy working ‘downtown’ more than I expected.
Will you ever return to Amazon?
Maybe (if they’ll have me). After being at Microsoft for 21 years I promised myself I’d never ‘fall in love’ with a company again. It’s just not healthy. But the reality is there are many, many things about how Amazon operates that deeply resonate with me. For example, the 14 leadership principles all sing to me and I have always been blown away how seriously everyone at Amazon takes them.
Are you available for consulting gigs?
Generally, no. I’m taking a very serious (ha!) break from ‘work’. However, I might be willing to take on some executive and leadership coaching. I am absolutely not available to consult on or discuss things related to my role at Amazon.
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Congratulations, Charlie! I’m sad we won’t get to work more together now that I’ve joined Alexa Smart Home, but I wanted to congratulate you on such a successful run and for rewarding yourself with this opportunity. PS: Given your car projects you missed an opportunity to announce you were “re-tiring” – I’ll show myself out now…
Charlie I am sure you will do well in your future endeavors! Hope you took a long vacation to soak it all in!
Yes, I didn’t see that coming but I’m very happy for you!
Enjoy your time off with your lovely family.
Congrats on the move. You know when it’s the right thing to do so it’s great to have the chance — and the courage — to go ahead and do it.
Wow! Congratulations Charlie! Great run on that table. Hit so many numbers we all lost count! 😉 see you soon!
Congratulations Charlie m, and well done! Enjoy the beak!
Happy for you Charlie, your work at Amazon flourished an entire industry. Can’t wait to “blow the cobwebs” out of a new toy with you and Julie!
Enjoy your break! Too bad I didn’t get a chance to work with you.
Hey Charlie would you he interested in a canadian E34 m540? I’ve got number 20 of 32 here and I’m looking to sell it someone who’d make it perfect. I saw your article about these cars and figured you’d be interested in buying one or maybe you’d know someone who’d be interested in buying it?
Look forward to hearing from you.