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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsHere, Type 1 and Type 2 refer to how reversible a decision is, not to fast and slow thinking. To choose between them, ask how difficult the choice would be to undo and how serious the consequences would be if it were wrong. A reversible choice with a bounded downside can usually move quickly; a consequential choice that is hard to reverse calls for more analysis, consultation, and explicit ownership.
What Type 1 and Type 2 mean
In his 2016 Amazon shareholder letter, Jeff Bezos described consequential decisions that are irreversible or nearly irreversible as “one-way doors,” or Type 1 decisions. Changeable, reversible decisions are “two-way doors,” or Type 2 decisions.
The distinction is about matching the decision process to the choice—not about labeling one kind of decision better. Bezos put the principle plainly: “First, never use a one-size-fits-all decision-making process.” His letter is a primary source for his management advice; it does not establish that every Amazon decision is classified this way or that every organization should copy the same practice.
How to choose the right process
Before calling a decision Type 1 or Type 2, assess what reversal and failure would mean in practice. Formal permission to change a decision later does not make it meaningfully reversible if the effects are costly or lasting.
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- Work out whether you can really undo it. Identify the steps, time, dependencies, expense, disruption, and organizational effort required to reverse course.
- Assess the downside of being wrong. Consider how serious the consequences would be and who would bear them. A choice that can be changed on paper may still affect people, customers, safety, legal duties, finances, or reputation in ways that are not quickly repaired.
- Ask whether a small trial can reduce uncertainty. If you can test the choice on a limited scale, observe the result, and stop or roll it back safely, acting may be more informative than prolonged discussion. Bezos’s letter endorses experimentation and course correction as ways to maintain decision velocity.
- Define the decision and its owner. State exactly what is being decided, who makes the call, who advises, who executes, and which affected teams need coordination. Harvard Business Review’s 2026 guidance on decision rights emphasizes defining the decision before assigning roles.
- Set a way to evaluate the result. Decide what evidence would show whether the choice is working and when to review it. Harvard Business Review recommends clarifying decision rights, coordinating with affected people, and monitoring effectiveness in its 2020 guidance for organizations.
When a lightweight process fits
Use a fast, lightweight process when the decision is genuinely reversible, the cost of failure is limited, and you can observe the outcome and correct course. Name one decision owner, gather enough information to make a reasonable call, and set a review point or measurable result. Lightweight means proportionate—not unowned or careless.
Bezos wrote that many decisions should be made with “somewhere around 70%” of the information one wishes one had, rather than waiting for 90%. This is his 2016 management rule of thumb, not a measured statistic or universal threshold. It is most useful when delay has a cost and the decision can be adjusted as new information arrives.
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When a deliberate process fits
Slow down when a mistake would have serious consequences or the choice would be difficult to reverse. Examine the relevant evidence, consult people with affected responsibilities or expertise, surface material disagreement early, and make decision ownership explicit. Clarify who contributes and who carries out the decision so that consultation does not leave accountability ambiguous.
The Type 1/Type 2 framework does not prescribe a fixed committee, checklist, or numerical approval threshold. Those depend on the organization and the decision. Choose safeguards that address the actual downside rather than adding approval steps by default.
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Once the decision owner and the decision itself are clear, candid disagreement does not have to mean endless pursuit of consensus. Bezos describes “disagree and commit” as a way to proceed when people still disagree with a direction: make the call, then commit to carrying it out. If the disagreement reflects fundamentally different objectives, his advice is to escalate early rather than let repeated meetings or stamina determine the outcome.
Decision rights need to work in practice, not just appear on an organizational chart. Define the choice first, identify the people whose input or coordination matters, and monitor what happens after the decision. If the arrangement is not working, adjust it.
Quick Recap
Limitations of the framework
- Reversibility is a matter of degree. Bezos’s “nearly irreversible” wording leaves room for judgment. Consider the real cost, time, effort, and disruption of reversing a choice.
- Technical reversibility does not erase serious consequences. A choice may be formally changeable while its effects on people, customers, safety, legal obligations, finances, or reputation remain difficult to repair.
- The framework is a heuristic, not a guarantee. Bezos’s shareholder letter sets out management advice, while Harvard Business Review offers editorial guidance on organizational decision-making. These sources do not establish a controlled, universal effect on decision quality or speed.
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