[The Peterman Pod] The Unwritten Rules of Corporate Politics by Ethan Evans
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What really determines who gets promoted, who gets heard, and who gains influence inside an organization? In The Unwritten Rules of Corporate Influence, former Amazon Vice President Ethan Evans offers a candid look at the dynamics operating behind the org chart—from promotions and reorganizations to workplace politics, difficult managers, and the relationships that shape career progression. Drawing from his experience leading large organizations, Ethan explains how to recognize these unwritten rules and navigate them more effectively without losing sight of your professional values.
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Understand how influence, soft power, and workplace politics really operate
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Navigate promotions, reorgs, performance management, and career advancement
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Build leverage, trusted relationships, champions, and influence without authority
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Manage difficult leaders, advocate for yourself, and protect your career
Ryan Peterman is a software engineer, educator, and content creator dedicated to helping engineers accelerate their careers through practical, experience-driven guidance. A former Staff Software Engineer at Instagram (Meta), Ryan is the founder and host of The Peterman Pod, where he interviews some of the world's leading software engineers to uncover the technical and career lessons behind their success. Through his newsletter, educational content, and long-form conversations, Ryan focuses on topics such as technical leadership, career growth, system design, and engineering impact, making mentorship and high-quality career advice accessible to engineers at every stage of their journey.
Ethan Evans is a retired Amazon Vice President, executive coach, and leadership educator with more than 15 years of experience at Amazon, where he led global teams of over 800 people and contributed to businesses and products including Prime Video, Amazon Appstore, Prime Gaming, and Twitch Commerce. An inventor with more than 70 patents, he also served as an Amazon Bar Raiser and helped shape the company’s “Ownership” Leadership Principle. Today, Ethan draws on his experience building organizations, developing senior leaders, and navigating executive-level careers to teach professionals how to advance their careers, strengthen their leadership skills, and succeed at the highest levels of organizations.
Editor's Note: This course was created and curated by the Taro team. It is based on an interview originally conducted by Ryan Peterman with Ethan Evans on The Peterman Pod. With Ryan's permission, Taro edited, organized, and divided the conversation into lessons to make it easier to navigate and learn from. Ryan was not involved in creating this course and is not affiliated with or compensated by Taro for this content. We're grateful to Ryan for allowing us to share this interview with the Taro community.
Original podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WaeGfLnRvc&t=24s
