Never choose Amazon even if you have no choice

Microsoft NBPE82
Mar 5 36 Comments

I saw a lot of persons compare Amazon offer with other company. But as SDE working in Amazon AWS for two years, I would like to give a warning to person never work in Amazon, never choose to work in this company even if you have no choice.

Everyone know that Amazon hire bar is really low, lower than Google, Microsoft and Facebook. Someone even do not need interview can get Amazon offer. Actually, the reason is that the team hire you to put you in PIP quota. Trust me this is real, when I am the interviewer of Amazon, my manager told me that just let someone pass interview, and put them in PIP after one year, since no one in our team want to be put in PIP.

Another thing is that never think you could learn some cool tech in Amazon since 95% of SDE in Amazon just do boring operation work everyday. Also Amazon’s deployment pipeline is really poor, all the operation is manual, and it is usual case that someone broke pipeline will block other guys deployment.

Also do not think Amazon brand is good, actually when go to Google, Microsoft and Facebook from Amazon . They will give less salary and slow promotion speed since they known Amazon do not have bonus and hard to promote to high level.

I still remember one Chinese SDE suicide when he just participate Amazon for three months. A lot of my friends also face same issue as him.

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 TOP 36 Comments
  • Amazon Nsgdbp
    I call bullshit on your hiring for PIP pipeline comment.
    Mar 5 15
    • I think HR gets a lot of job security from the high turnover so no one has incentive to fix anything
      Mar 5
    • New / Eng pHXp44
      What really are the stats for number of engineers at each big company? I’d love to see something useful there. I tend to agree that amazon is just the biggest and therefore has the greatest number of bad fits and rejects.
      Mar 5
    • Amazon Nsgdbp
      By the way I am an immigrant too, and you guys commenting on HR’s job security coming from turnover have it completely backwards. HR headcount need is determined from employee support needs. With automation and better HR processes, the ratio of HR to number of employees that we can support keeps getting better and hence need for fewer and fewer HR folks doing tactical work - this includes HRA to HRBp roles, even sometime Sr. HRBP roles. How does turnover give HR job security? Unregretted attrition is just needed to make sure we have a decent performance bar. Our high performers keep crying that we need a high performance bar. That is achieved both through good hiring and managing out bottom performers. Of course it creates some stress as you cannot coast being the bottom performer on any team. And guess what all companies do this. It’s just that some of them have cultures where you can hide but in Amazon it is hard to hide. Of course we do have some shitty managers as does every other company. We work hard to make it hard for them to be shitty. Whenever we come across systemic issues we try to course correct but we don’t want to compromise the performance bar.
      Mar 5
    • Microsoft ISeeker
      Heard the same as OP mentioned from other sources as well that new people > 50% are put on PIP and it's very political. Also old people and friend group target new people so that they can maintain their job Contunuity. Also heard that developers comment on code more on people that they want to target while they will let their friends code review go.
      Apr 10
    • Amazon paopao
      You are the one bullshiting. Op is right.
      Apr 10
  • New djshs
    And this is the nth time an Amazon employee has criticized Amazon. Tell us something new 🤷🏻‍♂️
    Mar 5 0
  • Gross generalization of a huge company. Obviously everyone will have different experiences so unsure what the point of this post is.
    Mar 5 1
    • Certainly more than one bad manager , blind and other sources ( nytimes ) are full of incidents like these . FB has tough wlb but how many posts do u see from FB like these ?
      Apr 10
  • Microsoft
    wyba qnbab

    Microsoft

    PRE
    Google, Amazon
     wyba qnbabmore
    You’re Chinese and ur manager told you this?
    Mar 5 0
  • New / Eng pHXp44
    What level SDE are you, and what makes you think that the issues you’ve experienced are universal rather than related to a bad manager?
    Mar 5 1
    • Certainly more than one bad manager , blind and other sources ( nytimes ) are full of incidents like these . FB has tough wlb but how many posts do u see from FB like these ?
      Apr 10
  • Gap / Eng randUser
    Is it that bad? Holy crap. I have an interview for AWS :( service catalog team
    Mar 5 0
  • Microsoft ISeeker
    Heard the same as OP mentioned from other sources as well that new people > 50% are put on PIP and it's very political. Also old people and friend group target new people so that they can maintain their job Contunuity. Also heard that developers comment on code more on people that they want to target while they will let their friends code review go

    Ober this I have also heard that people back stab their peers with their managers or the one they don't like.
    Apr 10 0
  • I heard the hiring bar is quite high
    Mar 5 4
    • New / Eng pHXp44
      I’m pretty sure it is.
      Mar 5
    • Amazon / Eng Sorj30
      High, low, it’s all relative. It’s lower than the likes of Google and Facebook, but it’s higher than many other companies.
      Mar 5
    • Amazon koy82p
      The bar is pretty low for SDE 1 college hires. Some don’t even need to go through an in person interview.

      SDE 2 bar seems to vary widely.
      Mar 5
    • Amazon / Eng Sorj30
      Yeah, the process for college hires varies a lot year over year. They are always trying different things. This year I believe the standard process is a compressed 3 person loop with a BR led debrief. From the loops I have done so far, I am happy with the bar of the slate of candidates we are letting through.
      Mar 6

  • This comment was deleted by original commenter.

    • Microsoft NBPE82
      OP
      Arvind
      Mar 5
  • Amazon Kofseuvd
    The hire for pip thing is new to me but nice to know that.

    The deployment pipeline is actually very good because we have auto deployment without manual intervals and everyone is responsible for their own deployment.

    The boring thing is the internal infrastructure is quite good so less is learned but it is still enough for a junior engineer.

    When I was looking for new job, MS is the only one low ball me. Others like Google give higher salary but lower level but not for FB.

    I heard the Chinese SDE suicide because his manager put him to pip. The manager himself was pip then.

    There are good managers and bad managers in Amazon. The problem here is manager in Amazon has so much power that could influence the engineer’s work life so your experience largely depends on your manager.

    Although I also don’t recommend Amazon to others but the experience op mentioned is not always the case in Amazon :p
    Mar 5 1
    • Yahoo / Eng
      .broadway

      Yahoo Eng

      PRE
      Yahoo
       .broadwaymore
      Isn't that true in most places? The manager can influence the engineer's work life. And your experience depends on the manager.
      Mar 5
  • Microsoft MSFTBRO
    why u still have microsoft tag then?
    Mar 5 1
    • New djshs
      Because one cannot edit the company name when u change your employer. His former employer should be Ms.
      Mar 5
  • Amazon paopao
    Well said.
    Mar 15 0
  • Amazon / Eng Sorj30
    I feel you. However you seem to be too sweeping in your rant. I hope things will get better for you. Reach out to mentors or people in your support group, feel better soon!
    Mar 5 0