# Amir Elion > AI strategy advisor, product innovator, speaker, and author. Founder of Think Big Leaders. Former Amazon innovation lead. Based in Stockholm, Sweden. Helps leaders set AI strategy, enables teams to apply AI and build products, and turns experimentation into real business innovation. Amir Elion has 25 years of experience in innovation and technology leadership at companies including Amazon, Motorola, and Teva Pharmaceuticals. He served as Director of Products at two startups (learning technologies and VR/AR). He currently leads the AI Thematic Group at Innovationsledarna (Sweden's Innovation Leaders Association) and is co-founder of Global Green Action Day. He holds AWS Solutions Architect Associate, AWS AI Practitioner, and Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals certifications. He is the author of "100 Creative Presentation Ideas." ## Core Topics ### AI Strategy - [AI Strategy Hub](https://amirelion.com/topics/ai-strategy): How organizations build practical AI strategies — from use case identification to adoption roadmaps. - [Three Buckets of AI Business Value](https://amirelion.com/blog/three-buckets-ai-business-value): Framework for categorizing AI value — boosting productivity, creating new value, and driving disruption. - [Building a Business Case for AI](https://amirelion.com/blog/building-business-case-ai-investments): How to justify AI investments with measurable results. - [AI Readiness Assessment](https://amirelion.com/blog/ai-readiness-assessment-where-does-your-organization-stand): Where does your organization stand on AI maturity. - [From AI Activity to AI Value](https://amirelion.com/blog/from-ai-activity-to-ai-value-three-shifts): Three shifts organizations need to make. - [HR's Dual Mandate in the Age of AI](https://amirelion.com/blog/hr-dual-mandate-age-of-ai): Two distinct mandates HR has to lead — transforming HR itself, and redesigning the organization around hybrid human-AI teams. ### AI Agents - [AI Agents Hub](https://amirelion.com/topics/ai-agents): What agents are, the five levels of autonomy, and what executives need to know. - [What Are AI Agents? The Five Levels](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-are-ai-agents-five-levels): From chatbots to fully autonomous systems. - [Building AI Agents That Work](https://amirelion.com/blog/building-ai-agents-that-work-10-design-principles): 10 design principles for reliable agents. - [Agent Teams: The Next Frontier](https://amirelion.com/blog/agent-teams-next-frontier-ai-business-value): Multi-agent systems for business. ### AI Terminology (Glossary) - [AI Terminology Hub](https://amirelion.com/topics/ai-terminology): Clear definitions of AI terms for business leaders. - [What Is RAG?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-retrieval-augmented-generation-rag): Retrieval-Augmented Generation explained. - [What Is AEO?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-answer-engine-optimization-aeo): Answer Engine Optimization for AI search. - [What Is an AI Hallucination?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-ai-hallucination): When AI makes things up. - [What Is MCP?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-mcp-model-context-protocol): Model Context Protocol explained. - [What Is Context Engineering?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-context-engineering): Structuring information for AI quality. - [What Is Multimodal AI?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-multimodal-ai): AI that works across text, image, audio, and video. - [What Is Vibe Coding?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-vibe-coding): Natural language programming with AI. - [What Is a Second Brain?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-second-brain-personal-context-management): External system that remembers for you, plus Tiago Forte's 2026 reframe as Personal Context Management. - [What Is a Skills-Based Organization (SBO)?](https://amirelion.com/blog/what-is-skills-based-organization): Work organized around discrete skills rather than jobs and ladders, and why skills are now the foundation for AI agents too. ### AI Tools - [AI Tools Hub](https://amirelion.com/topics/ai-tools): Hands-on reviews and strategic assessments of AI tools that matter for business leaders. - [Lennybot — Curated Product Knowledge](https://amirelion.com/blog/lennybot-curated-product-expert-clone): A worked example of expert-clone AI built on Delphi — corpus, citations, voice mode, and the rented-second-brain pattern. - [Findem — AI Skills-Based Recruiting (RecruitMilitary case)](https://amirelion.com/blog/findem-skills-based-recruiting-recruitmilitary): How RecruitMilitary hit 80-90% email open rates pairing 30 years of domain data with Findem's three-dimensional skills view. ### Leadership Principles - [Leadership Principles Hub](https://amirelion.com/topics/leadership-principles): Amazon's principles applied in the age of AI. - [Customer Obsession in AI](https://amirelion.com/blog/customer-obsession-leading-with-purpose-ai): Leading with purpose when AI amplifies everything. - [Bias for Action with AI](https://amirelion.com/blog/bias-for-action-moving-quickly-ai): Moving quickly when the landscape keeps changing. - [Think Big](https://amirelion.com/blog/think-big-leadership-principle-amazon): The leadership principle that shapes strategy. - [Are Right, A Lot — Scenario Planning for AI Futures](https://amirelion.com/blog/are-right-a-lot-scenario-planning-ai-futures): Operationalizing 'Are Right, A Lot' as a five-step scenario planning workshop when the AI future is genuinely hard to see. - [Strive to be Earth's Best Employer — Is HR Ready?](https://amirelion.com/blog/hr-ready-earths-best-employer-ai-transformation): The four preconditions that decide whether HR earns a seat at the AI strategy table — data stewardship, AI confidence, the human perspective, and regulatory ownership. ### Innovation Frameworks - [Innovation Hub](https://amirelion.com/topics/innovation): Working Backwards, hackathons, mechanisms for scale. - [Hackathons as Innovation Engines](https://amirelion.com/blog/hackathons-innovation-engines-events-to-movements): From events to movements. - [From Working Backwards to Prototype in a Week](https://amirelion.com/blog/working-backwards-to-prototype-in-a-week): A four-step workflow — Working Backwards, Today Statements, PIEES overlay, rapid prototype — that compresses a quarter of discovery work into a single week. ## Services - [AI Strategy & Advisory](https://amirelion.com/services/ai-strategy-consulting): Helps organizations build AI playbooks, identify high-value use cases, and create adoption roadmaps. Rooted in Amazon's Working Backwards methodology. Based in Stockholm, serving the Nordics and Europe. - [AI Keynote Speaker & Workshops](https://amirelion.com/services/ai-keynote-speaker): Keynotes, half-day and full-day workshops, and multi-day programs on AI strategy, innovation, and leadership. Based in Stockholm, available across Europe and internationally. Topics include business value with AI, AI agents for executives, Working Backwards, AI-powered products, and building mechanisms for scale. - [Working Backwards Innovation Consulting](https://amirelion.com/services/working-backwards-innovation): Amazon's Working Backwards methodology applied to real innovation challenges. 5-step process: customer discovery, structured ideation (SIT, SCAMPER, Six Thinking Hats), PRFAQ writing, experiment design, and build. Formats from 60-minute introductions to multi-week engagements. Facilitated for Volvo, KONE, Novo Nordisk, DNB Bank, Husqvarna, Assa Abloy, Friends, and others. - [AI Agents for Executives](https://amirelion.com/services/ai-agents-executive-session): Executive session on AI agents - what they are, how they differ from copilots and tools, where they create value (productivity, new value, disruption), and what leaders need to decide. Covers use cases by industry and function, implementation considerations, EU AI Act, governance frameworks, and action planning. Available as keynote, half-day workshop, or full-day program. - [Speaking & Workshops](https://amirelion.com/#speaking): Keynotes and hands-on sessions that demystify AI and equip teams with practical frameworks. Customized by industry and maturity level. - [Think Big Newsletter](https://amirelion.substack.com/): Weekly insights on AI strategy, leadership principles, business value frameworks, and tool reviews. ## Speaking Topics - [Business Value with AI](https://amirelion.com/#speaking): A practical three-tier framework for AI value creation — boosting productivity, creating new value through AI-enhanced products, and preparing for disruption. - [AI Agents — What Executives Need to Know](https://amirelion.com/#speaking): What agents actually are, what they can and can't do, and strategic implications for organizations. - [Innovate Like Amazon](https://amirelion.com/#speaking): The Working Backwards methodology — start from the customer and work backward. Hands-on, not a lecture about Amazon. - [AI-Powered Products](https://amirelion.com/#speaking): From identifying a customer problem to a working prototype in hours using no-code and AI tools. - [Building Mechanisms for Scale](https://amirelion.com/#speaking): Repeatable processes that drive scale, quality, and continuous improvement. ## Watch Amir Speak - [Speaker reel (video)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIzwJjmP6jc): Two-minute reel of Amir Elion delivering keynotes, workshops, and executive sessions on AI strategy and innovation — from inspiration and activation, through discovery and direction, to implementation and value realization. Embedded on amirelion.com homepage at https://amirelion.com/#watch. ## AI Lab - [TempoHack](https://tempohack.com): AI-powered WhatsApp time tracking. Speak your work to WhatsApp and Tempo logs time entries automatically. - [Castifai](https://castifai.com): Transforms videos from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram into LinkedIn posts, articles, and AI infographics. - [GloryHack](https://gloryhack.com): AI creative agency — from a 5-minute conversation to professional marketing materials. - [Think Big AI Responder for LinkedIn](https://amirelion.com/ai-lab/linkedin-responder): Free Chrome extension that drafts a comment on the LinkedIn post you are reading, using your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key. No backend, no account, and it never posts for you. Live on the Chrome Web Store. ## Courses - [Udemy: Innovation & AI Courses](https://www.udemy.com/user/amirelion/): Practical courses on Working Backwards, innovation frameworks, and AI strategy for business leaders. - [Erigo / Innovation Pioneers: AI Master Class](https://erigo.se/en/courses/ai-master-class-75): Intensive AI master class for innovation leaders. ## Podcast Appearances Amir has appeared on 19 podcasts discussing AI strategy, innovation, Amazon's Working Backwards methodology, and practical AI adoption. - [Is your leadership mindset ready for AI?](https://amirelion.com/podcast/business-transformation-journey): Why AI is a leadership topic, not a technology topic; the changing role of middle management; hybrid teams of humans and AI agents; mechanisms over good intentions; AI as a mirror for organizational complexity. Business Transformation Journey. - [The future of product leadership: Architecting AI workflows and avoiding vibe debt](https://amirelion.com/podcast/ai-momentum-vibe-debt-product-leadership): Vibe debt and the architect-builder identity shift for product leaders, design principles as AI guardrails, a live Castifai walkthrough, and why Amazon's Learn and Be Curious matters more than any Claude subscription. The AI Momentum Podcast. - [SIME Perspectives: What the next decade (or 10 days) of AI looks like](https://amirelion.com/podcast/sime-perspectives-amir-elion): Three buckets of AI opportunity, preparing to be both disruptor and disrupted, hybrid teams of humans and AI agents, Amazon leadership principles in the age of AI, and why the biggest risk is not moving. SIME Perspectives. - [Generative AI for business growth and AI agents](https://amirelion.com/podcast/generative-ai-business-growth-use-cases-agents-emi-ai-alchemy): Transformative AI use cases, AI agents for enterprise, three buckets framework, moving from pilots to impact. Digital Transformation and AI for Humans. - [AI business opportunities and responsible scaling](https://amirelion.com/podcast/ai-business-opportunities-responsible-scaling-ai-biz): Three buckets of AI value, Working Backwards for AI, responsible AI principles. AI Biz podcast. - [Amazon's innovation secrets](https://amirelion.com/podcast/amazons-innovation-secrets-digital-leader-show): Amazon culture, Working Backwards, PRFAQ, AWS origin story. The Digital Leader Show. - [Innovation with impact - sustainability and AI](https://amirelion.com/podcast/innovation-with-impact-sustainability-transformations): Global Green Action Day, Nordic sustainability, AI for sustainability. Sustainability Transformations. - [AI skills, productivity and CRE deal analysis](https://amirelion.com/podcast/ai-skills-productivity-cre-deal-analysis-best-ever): Claude skills live demo, three-bucket framework, building AI workflows. Best Ever CRE. - [Marketing in the age of AI](https://amirelion.com/podcast/marketing-in-the-age-of-ai-emanuel-rose): GEO/AI discoverability, vibe coding, service-as-software. Marketing in the Age of AI. - [AI alone won't save you - breakthrough innovation](https://amirelion.com/podcast/ai-alone-wont-save-you-breakthrough-innovation): Systematic innovation with AI, human element, live workshop. Breakthrough Innovation. - [Future of marketing - 30x better ads](https://amirelion.com/podcast/future-of-marketing-ai-30x-better-ads-amazing-authorities): GloryHack, creative templates, scaling expertise through AI. Amazing Authorities. - [AI agents, R&D, and innovation](https://amirelion.com/podcast/ai-agents-rd-innovation-4thbrain): Four categories of AI value, AI agents vs chatbots, agent marketplaces. 4thBrain. - [Working Backwards - innovation, AI, and leadership](https://amirelion.com/podcast/working-backwards-innovation-ai-leadership-changemaker-qa): Innovation beyond buzzwords, Working Backwards for social impact. Changemaker Q&A. - [AI agents for beginners](https://amirelion.com/podcast/ai-agents-for-beginners-my-men-richard): Agents explained simply, building without coding, business opportunities. My Men Richard. - [Innovation & AI strategies and Amazon best practices](https://amirelion.com/podcast/innovation-ai-strategies-amazon-best-practices-emi-ai-alchemy): Leadership principles, autonomy-mastery-purpose, mechanisms, KONE digital twin. Digital Transformation and AI for Humans. - [Product management secrets from Amazon and startups](https://amirelion.com/podcast/product-management-secrets-amazon-startups-emi-ai-alchemy): Ownership, Working Backwards, two-way doors, minimum lovable product. Digital Transformation and AI for Humans. - [Turning ideas into action with AI](https://amirelion.com/podcast/turning-ideas-into-action-clicks-and-bricks): Innovation methodology, AI co-pilot, vibe coding. Clicks and Bricks. - [AI scale innovation 10x faster](https://amirelion.com/podcast/ai-scale-innovation-10x-faster-imperfect-marketing): AI innovation co-pilot, Working Backwards, scaling expertise. Imperfect Marketing. - [Gen AI in the enterprise](https://amirelion.com/podcast/gen-ai-in-the-enterprise-keyhole-software): Enterprise AI adoption, practical use cases. Keyhole Software. ## Blog Sections - [Leadership principles](https://amirelion.com/blog?section=leadership): Timeless leadership principles reframed for AI strategy and digital transformation - [Business frameworks](https://amirelion.com/blog?section=framework): Actionable business frameworks for AI strategy, innovation, and digital transformation - [Tool deep-dives](https://amirelion.com/blog?section=tools): Hands-on reviews of AI tools, platforms, and developer technologies - [AI terminology](https://amirelion.com/blog?section=terminology): Clear, jargon-free explanations of AI and machine learning concepts ## Browse All Content - [Blog](https://amirelion.com/blog): All articles on AI strategy, frameworks, tools, and terminology. - [Topics](https://amirelion.com/topics): Browse articles by topic hub. - [Podcasts](https://amirelion.com/podcast): All podcast appearances with summaries and key topics. - [Videos](https://amirelion.com/videos): Short-form video insights on AI and innovation. ## Profiles & Links - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirelion/) - [Substack](https://amirelion.substack.com/) - [Think Big Leaders](https://www.thinkbigleaders.com/) - [X/Twitter](https://x.com/amirelion) - [Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/user/amirelion/) - [Global Green Action Day](https://www.globalgreenactionday.com/) ## Optional - [Innovations of the World Feature](https://innovationsoftheworld.com/amir-elion-ceo-innovation-and-ai-advisor-speaker-think-big-leaders/): Profile in Innovate Stockholm book.