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Also known as: two pizza team, small team principle

Two-Pizza Rule

FoundationalFrameworksOperations

Definition

Two-Pizza Rule: The two-pizza rule, attributed to Jeff Bezos, suggests teams should be small enough to be fed with two pizzas—roughly 6-10 people. Small teams reduce communication overhead, increase ownership, and move faster. The principle guides organizational design toward autonomous, focused teams.

Example Usage

“Our product team hit 15 people and velocity dropped. Splitting into two 'two-pizza teams' restored speed and increased ownership.”

Common Misconceptions

Exactly 6-10 people. The right size depends on work; the point is small enough for real collaboration.
Small teams can't do big things. Small teams with clear ownership often outperform large teams on complex projects.
Just split big teams. Splitting requires clear boundaries, ownership, and reduced dependencies.

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