Watching Bezos interview on Charlie Rose (from Kindle launch on Nov 19, 2007) he talks about his retreat:
Every quarter Bezos takes 2-3 days, completely alone, isolated from family and friends, no phones or interruptions. “With a little bit of isolation, I find I get more creative.” He’ll think, reflect, surf the Internet, see what people are doing, what hobbyists and hackers are doing (things on cutting edge). Then he’ll write several 2-3 page memos – either to himself (wakes up next day and decides they’re worthless) or to others. Once a quarter is the right “Metronome.” Come up with principles, themes, even tactical inventions. Bring back to the office and socialize with broader executive team. At end of process, he’s not sure if he really invented anything or not. Result of having a bunch of smart people, because you get all t heir criticism and suggestions.
This is similar to Bill Gates’s practice of going away occasionally for several weeks, taking a stack of books.
He also mentioned Blue Origin's company theme: "Gradatim Ferociter" (Step by Step, Courageously). Hokey, but it captures the engineering/MIT/Edison ethos.
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