To advance within Amazon’s rapidly evolving home security division, employees must now demonstrate a deep and practical engagement with artificial intelligence—a requirement that marks a significant cultural and strategic transformation within the company. In July, Business Insider obtained an internal email from Jamie Siminoff, Amazon’s Vice President of Product overseeing the home security group. In that correspondence, Siminoff made it explicitly clear that all promotion applicants would be asked to explain in detail how they were employing AI technologies in their current roles. This directive was not presented as a casual suggestion but rather as a formal stipulation, signaling the company’s commitment to embedding artificial intelligence into the very fabric of its operations and professional growth processes.
When interviewed by Business Insider the following week, during a media tour connected to his book *Ding Dong*, Siminoff reaffirmed and expanded upon this policy with unmistakable conviction. He stated that AI integration would not simply be one element considered in promotions—it would become one of the primary factors on which advancement decisions are based. Siminoff explained that Amazon’s promotion framework under his leadership now aims to measure how deeply each employee integrates AI into their workflow, problem-solving methodology, and day-to-day responsibilities. In essence, those who use artificial intelligence to increase efficiency, creativity, and productivity will stand out in the eyes of leadership.
This policy, Siminoff continued, is designed to create strong motivational incentives for employees to embrace and proficiently utilize emerging technologies. Recognizing that professional incentives are among the most powerful catalysts for behavioral change, he acknowledged that the promotion process remains a central mechanism through which employees can boost both their earnings and their standing within the company. From his perspective, rewarding those who generate additional leverage for Amazon through AI-driven solutions is both logical and fair: employees who contribute more value through innovation, he argued, should naturally progress faster within the organization.
Siminoff’s comments were made shortly before Amazon’s announcement of widespread layoffs—approximately 14,000 positions eliminated, as confirmed on Tuesday—adding further context to his emphasis on strategic adaptation. During an earnings call preceding the layoffs, CEO Andy Jassy clarified that the decision was not primarily motivated by financial constraints, nor was it directly influenced by AI at this stage, but rather stemmed from broader cultural considerations within the company. Following these workforce reductions, Siminoff declined to offer any further public comment on the matter.
When Business Insider first reported on Jassy’s memo in July, an Amazon spokesperson clarified that the new promotional-application policy requiring the disclosure of AI usage did not extend across the entire corporation. Instead, it applied exclusively to the subset of the company known as the RBKS division—comprising Ring, Blink, Key, and Sidewalk—each of which operates within Amazon’s extensive home security ecosystem.
Jamie Siminoff’s longstanding connection to this field adds nuance to his current leadership philosophy. As the founder of Ring—the pioneering video doorbell and home security company—Siminoff first captured public attention in 2013 through his appearance on the television investment show *Shark Tank*. Despite leaving the show without securing a deal, his company’s innovative product line soon achieved massive success, culminating in its acquisition by Amazon five years later for a price exceeding one billion dollars. After departing from Amazon in 2023, Siminoff made a notable return as the company’s Vice President of Product in April 2025, where he renewed Ring’s focus on crime prevention and home safety while further integrating advanced AI capabilities into its suite of devices and software tools.
In his recent interview, Siminoff also detailed how deeply he has woven artificial intelligence into both hiring and internal evaluation processes. He explained that even during job interviews, prospective candidates are now assessed based on their familiarity with and enthusiasm for AI tools. Repeating the mantra “AI in, AI out,” Siminoff emphasized that the topic arises consistently throughout the hiring dialogue, reflecting his belief that comfort and fluency with artificial intelligence have become essential qualifications for success. The specific questions asked vary depending on the position: for instance, an engineering applicant might be required to demonstrate proficiency with coding assistants, data-analysis platforms, or other AI-driven development tools.
Siminoff noted that what truly distinguishes an ideal candidate is not merely the technical ability to use existing AI platforms such as ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, but rather a mindset in which AI is treated as an intrinsic component of daily problem-solving. “Leaning into AI,” as he described it, means possessing an instinctive curiosity and a proactive attitude toward technological applications rather than waiting to be instructed. This forward-thinking mentality, he argued, represents the hallmark of the professionals he seeks to hire and promote going forward. In his view, those who think natively in AI terms—who intuitively embed machine learning tools and automation into their work processes—reflect the type of innovative, adaptable workforce that will define Amazon’s home security division in the years to come.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-vp-jamie-siminoff-hiring-promoting-ai-usage-2025-10
