Amazon or Google; which company is better to work for(in bay area) with respect to perks, work life balance, and career progression?
Duh, Amazon of course.
If you have to ask, please stay in Amazon. Just think of Amazon as the best thing in the world. Perks: Amazon gives banana for your health; small desk so you can be more focussed; low 401k match so you can be even more productive when young as you know you will have small after retirement; fewer bathrooms make your urinary muscle stronger; no free meals to teach you the importance of getting the food by hard work - all of these make your career progression go fast since it prepares you to produce from barely anything. When all tech jobs go to third world countries or you have to go back to your home country, your transition will be smoother or even better as many third world countries provide spacious office space and more bathrooms. WLB: I am afraid you will be on PIP soon if you have to ask about this as an Amazon employee. Jeff explained there is no WLB. There is something like work life harmony where there is no line between work and life. What he is trying to say is work is your life. So there is no WLB but you have a better one that blends them. Joking. No offense to Amazonians. It is a great company for hard working people with ambition to own broad scope of work. It is just that I donβt want any more competition to get into G. Back to leetcode...
Definitely Amazon, with all the π you can eat as well.
Amazon eats people and spits them out.
For a real answer, I think Amazon is easier to progress within if you are driven and do good work. (There is also the caveat of having a good org, but that applies anywhere.) In the right roles the scope and impact you can own at Amazon is more than almost any other big company at lower levels. There are of course exceptions to this and +/- to any decision like this which often come down to the specific role and your personal goals. I'd take Google though unless you want to move to Seattle.
I worked a lot less at Amazon compared to Google, might be just an edge case though. But talent level is a lot higher here.
Amazon of course
Dude, Google doesn't have banana stands like Amazon does. Amazon all the way. Duh!
Anything but Amazon ABA
Google
Better for WLB or Career progression?
Yes