Author: Kristi Coulter
Genre: Memoir / Feminist Nonfiction / Workplace Culture
Ideal For: Readers who love sharp, personal takes on tech, power dynamics, and feminist identity in the workplace
If you’ve ever worked in a corporate environment, questioned the cost of ambition, or wondered what it’s really like for women in the boys’ club of Big Tech—Exit Interview will hit you like a lightning bolt. Part memoir, part manifesto, Kristi Coulter’s account of her years at Amazon is one of the most compelling, biting, and beautifully written workplace books I’ve read in a long time.
This is Lean In turned inside out. It’s brutally honest, often hilarious, sometimes painful—and absolutely unputdownable.
Why I Picked It Up
I’d previously read Coulter’s viral essay collection Nothing Good Can Come from This, and her voice has stuck with me ever since: sharp, self-aware, and totally unwilling to sugarcoat anything. When I heard she was writing about her experience at Amazon, a place both revered and feared in the tech industry, I knew this would be a must-read. Spoiler: it absolutely delivered.
Book Summary (Spoiler-Free)
Exit Interview chronicles Kristi Coulter’s nearly 12 years at Amazon, where she climbed the ranks from music executive to senior leadership—and eventually, walked away. But this isn’t just a memoir about a woman in tech. It’s a story about the hidden toll of relentless ambition, the absurdities of corporate culture, and the maddening tension between being “successful” and being yourself.
Through sharp, scene-driven storytelling, Coulter shares:
- Her first days at Amazon, where she’s told to “speak less softly”
- Her constant battle with the company’s performative leadership principles
- The shocking gender dynamics she witnessed in boardrooms and brainstorms
- The slow-burning realisation that she was losing parts of herself in order to succeed
And through it all, she keeps asking the question most ambitious women eventually ask themselves: What am I giving up to be here?
Why It Works So Well
1. Coulter Is as Brutally Honest as She Is Brilliant
What sets Exit Interview apart from other corporate memoirs is that Coulter isn’t interested in being a hero—or a victim. She writes with clear-eyed introspection about her own complicity in the culture she critiques. She wanted to succeed, to climb, to be seen as exceptional. And she did. But at what cost?
Her writing is razor-sharp, funny in a devastating kind of way, and unafraid to say the quiet parts out loud. Whether she’s unpacking how women in tech are expected to shrink themselves, or calling out the performative “inclusion” that never touches the top layers of leadership, she never flinches.
2. It’s Not Just About Tech—It’s About Every Workplace
While Amazon provides the backdrop, Coulter’s observations could apply to countless corporate environments. The impossible standards. The burnout disguised as hustle. The way women are asked to mold themselves into “just assertive enough” versions of leadership.
This isn’t just a takedown of Amazon—it’s a love letter to the women who’ve survived similar spaces. And a call to imagine something better.
3. Memoir Meets Cultural Critique (And It’s Brilliant)
There’s a tightrope walk in memoir between telling your personal story and speaking to something larger. Coulter does both seamlessly. Her narrative is intimate, often vulnerable—but always in service of a broader truth. She zooms out to connect her experiences to systemic patterns, from gender bias to tech’s obsession with productivity over humanity.
It’s part confession, part social commentary—and 100% gripping.
You’ll Love This Book If You Enjoy…
- Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener – for its insider-y take on Silicon Valley with literary flair
- Lean Out by Elissa Shevinsky – for a more skeptical, intersectional take on women in tech
- Nothing Good Can Come from This – if you already love Coulter’s voice
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls – for memoir that balances trauma, resilience, and clarity
Final Thoughts: One of the Most Important Feminist Memoirs of the Decade
Exit Interview is a masterclass in speaking truth to power—without turning yourself into a martyr or a cliché. It’s thoughtful, layered, and unflinchingly real. Whether you’re in tech, adjacent to tech, or just someone who’s ever had to shrink themselves to fit into a system, this book will resonate.
Kristi Coulter doesn’t just exit Amazon—she exits a version of herself she no longer recognizes. And in doing so, she gives readers permission to examine their own stories, too.
This is required reading for anyone thinking about success, sacrifice, and who gets to belong.
