Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Addresses US Business Leaders on Trump Tariffs

During Harvard Business Review Leadership Summit, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy advised US business leaders to maintain customer focus despite growing tariff and geopolitical uncertainties. "Stay focused," Jassy advised CEOs facing the current economic climate. "You can get distracted by, say, are there going to be tariffs? How high are the tariffs? Will there not be tariffs? What are other countries' relationships with these countries?

How Jassy believes executives can navigate Trump's tariffs

The Amazon CEO acknowledged the challenging business environment created by President Trump's administration, which has imposed tariffs of up to 245% on certain Chinese imports and 10% on goods from most other countries.

"The number of things going on around the world and within the US right now can be dizzying," Jassy told. 

Despite these challenges, Jassy emphasized that businesses must carry out their core mission regardless of external pressures. "At the end of the day, we have a job to do, which is to figure out what customers want and then to go deliver it for them."

Even Amazon has recently faced political backlash, denying reports that it would include tariff contributions in pricing after White House critics labeled such a move "hostile and political."

Jassy advises business leaders to prioritise what they can control

Jassy acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining focus in the face of uncertainty, but emphasized the importance of focusing on controllable factors. "Leaders must remember what matters most in those moments," he said.

The tech executive explained Amazon's internal strategy: "We're here to make our customers' lives easier and better." Jassy believes that prioritizing customer needs over market noise positions companies for success.

"By and large, if you stay focused on the issues you know your customers care about, you will do right by them, and you will simply begin from a much higher starting point," Andy Jassy concluded.