New grad dilemma: microsoft or amazon?

New / Eng
palindrone

New Eng

palindrone
Sep 17, 2017 85 Comments

Which place is better to start my career in Seattle? Microsoft offers better benefits and a significantly higher compensation package for new grads. Amazon Alexa or Microsoft Azure for the teams.

EDIT: please elaborate your poll choice with a comment below as to why.

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TOP 85 Comments
  • Azure is a good team in MSFT. As for Amazon avoid it like the plague
    Sep 17, 2017 13
  • Carvana / Eng
    cFaS24

    Go to company page Carvana Eng

    BIO
    Product Manager (Fmr Sw Eng - Joined the dark side)
    cFaS24
    Take the higher compensation at MSFT. Build up a little war chest of funds, use those funds as initial seed money down the line for your own company or to pad your income if you choose to take a lower salary/higher equity job in the future.

    Money isn't everything, but the flexibility you can have later from that compensation difference can pay major dividends.

    You can repay me by fixing Azure Portal.
    Sep 17, 2017 5
    • New / Eng
      palindrone

      New Eng

      palindrone
      OP
      Amazon's package is quite shitty compared to how much msft is paying new grads these days
      Sep 18, 2017
    • Microsoft
      .....,,,::

      Go to company page Microsoft

      PRE
      Amazon
      BIO
      Amazon to the country club.
      .....,,,::
      Amazon's package has always been lower for new grads (I had both).
      Sep 18, 2017
  • Higher comp at msft for less work. Pretty easy choice IMO
    Sep 17, 2017 1
  • Microsoft first and then Amazon as sde2. The first few years at Amazon will be brutal and not worth the hassle. I'm speaking as someone who worked there before.
    Sep 17, 2017 4
    • Microsoft / Eng
      AmlEvil

      Go to company page Microsoft Eng

      BIO
      Sinful birth under the cross
      AmlEvil
      Did you intern in Alexa, specifically, though?
      Sep 18, 2017
    • New / Eng
      palindrone

      New Eng

      palindrone
      OP
      It was not alexa. And i dont want go to back to my old team. It was a great team though.
      Sep 18, 2017
  • Microsoft / Eng
    AmlEvil

    Go to company page Microsoft Eng

    BIO
    Sinful birth under the cross
    AmlEvil
    Can't you tell Amazon about Microsoft's compensation package and see if they'll match?
    Sep 18, 2017 8
    • Microsoft
      .....,,,::

      Go to company page Microsoft

      PRE
      Amazon
      BIO
      Amazon to the country club.
      .....,,,::
      When I was interviewing the comp diff was like 30k it's gotten much worse and that doesn't include benefits and Amazon treats new grads as fungible (why they don't negotiate)
      Sep 18, 2017
    • Would you mind sharing the comp details? I'm actually surprised that the difference is 40k
      Sep 21, 2017