[FYI] How Amzn comp structure works

Been seeing a lot of confusion on Amzn's comp structure so decided to do a PSA here. This way, people can effectively evaluate their offers Amzn's comp structure is determined by your job family, level, and geography. Each combination puts you in a band, which dictates how much you would make as a min and max. Within that band, you have an individual target comp level. This is what Amzn thinks your salary should be. Your target comp level raises each year based on your performance rating. Lastly, Amzn's comp philosophy is to get you to that target comp level each year through all the levers they can pull (base, sign-on, and RSU). Let's say your target comp is $200K a year (to keep the example simple, let's say no increases YoY). Amzn will pay you $200k through your base, sign-on bonus, and RSU. In terms of your first four years at the company, the first two years' comp will be primarily consisted of base + sign-on to reach $200k a year because majority of your RSU does not vest until year 3+. At year 3+, it'll be base + RSU. However, RSU being assigned is yours to keep, meaning if Amzn stock prices rises so much that your TC exceeds your comp band, you will not be penalized to keep you within the maximum band threshold. The upside associated with this comp model is if stock price depreciates significantly, you will be rewarded additional RSUs to ensure you reach your target comp ($200k). The downside is if stock appreciates beyond your target comp, you'll not get refreshes because you are already at the comp target. Furthermore, if stock rises significantly, you'll experience a cliff after 4 years because your total comp is already above your target comp, so when Amzn refreshes your comp for year 5 and beyond, it will only give you enough stocks up to your target comp level. For those who are wondering, twitch is owned by Amazon, so we are on the same comp system.