{"id":280,"date":"2025-10-15T11:55:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/?p=280"},"modified":"2025-10-16T16:32:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T16:32:27","slug":"jeff-bezos-says-young-founders-should-work-before-launching-a-startup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/jeff-bezos-says-young-founders-should-work-before-launching-a-startup\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Bezos says young founders should work before launching a startup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should you skip working your way up and launch a startup straight out of school, or wait until you’ve gained some ‘real-world’ experience? It’s a divisive question that Jeff Bezos himself has weighed in on.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a recent interview, the Amazon founder advised young founders, particularly <\/span>Gen Z,<\/span><\/a> to gain work experience before launching their own companies. He argues that time in the workforce will teach you valuable lessons.<\/span><\/p>\n

There’s a touch of irony, since Bezos himself famously started Amazon with a not-insignificant $250,000 investment from his parents. Still, his point raises an important question for budding entrepreneurs: learn the ropes, or dive in head-first?<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Bezos thinks work experience matters<\/h2>\n

“I always advise young people: go work at a best-practices company somewhere where you can learn a lot of basic fundamental things [like] how to hire really well, how to interview, etc.,” Bezos told Italian Tech Week earlier this month, as reported by <\/span>Fortune<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

“There’s a lot of stuff you would learn in a great company that will help you, and then there’s still lots of time to start a company after you have absorbed it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

He added that working for an established company, instead of immediately starting your own, “increases your odds” of success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bezos’ point is that time spent at a well-run company offers a new starter a crash course in leadership, operations, and customer understanding. It’s a lower-risk environment to make mistakes and see how systems actually work, before you’re responsible for building your own.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s worth remembering that Bezos has openly said <\/span>he got a hefty investment<\/span><\/a> from his parents to get Amazon off the ground. That said, even with family backing, professional experience, and an Ivy League education, he’s still had his share of missteps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take the 2014 Fire Phone, for example; it ended up costing Amazon $170 million. His career shows that while no advantage guarantees perfection, gaining hands-on experience in a real-world setting can make a difference in knowing how to respond to setbacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Zuckerberg effect<\/h2>\n

Then there’s the other path, the clichéd <\/span>tech founder<\/span><\/a> who didn’t even finish university, yet still went on to make billions. <\/span><\/p>\n

The stereotype was immortalised by Mark Zuckerberg, as depicted in The Social Network as a hoodie-wearing student who launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm. Fast forward to May 2025, and the Meta chairman is worth $221.2 billion, according to <\/span>Forbes<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

His story, along with similar ‘college dropout’ trajectories such as that of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, shaped the stereotype of the founder that is young, fearless, and untainted by <\/span>corporate culture<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s easy to be drawn in by this approach. Younger founders often bring energy, fresh ideas, and a willingness to take risks. Without years of ingrained habits or industry biases, they can notice opportunities that others might miss. <\/span><\/p>\n

And many would jump at the chance to skip the office and focus on their own project, but is it always the best route?<\/span><\/p>\n

Skipping the “real world” can mean a much steeper learning curve, potential operational blind spots, and a higher chance of burnout. Zuckerberg’s “move fast and break things” motto can be effective, but it loses its appeal when it’s your business or wellbeing on the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

Founders who worked first<\/h2>\n

Many successful entrepreneurs built their foundations elsewhere before starting their own ventures.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky worked as an industrial designer after graduation, while Glossier founder Emily Weiss had a high-profile internship at Teen Vogue. Those experiences gave them insights that later proved invaluable.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s also about building resilience. Early wins, like a solid degree or internship, boost your confidence to embark on bigger projects, while overcoming mistakes early on will help you bounce back from larger setbacks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Roles in startups, consultancies, or tech firms can help future founders develop practical skills, managing budgets, leading teams, and delivering value to customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Gen Z founders, it’s wise to pick a suitable “prep job” that offers insight into transferable skills like smart decision-making, <\/span>leadership<\/span><\/a>, and how to deal with clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all. Zuckerberg’s early start and Bezos’ post-30 leap show that routes to success can vary; and both cases show that having helping hands or financial backing certainly also doesn’t go amiss. <\/span><\/p>\n

The post Jeff Bezos says young founders should work before launching a startup<\/a> appeared first on Startups.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Should you skip working your way up and launch a startup straight out of school, or wait until you’ve gained some ‘real-world’ experience? It’s a divisive question that Jeff Bezos himself has weighed in on. In a recent interview, the Amazon founder advised young founders, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-startups"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":281,"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280\/revisions\/281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ccsbinc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}