When I used to work at AWS, L7 was big f**king deal. As an L4/5 I was impressed by every L7 Principal I worked with. Fast forward to now, I see posts on blind claiming Amazon L7 maps to Google L6 which baffles me. Is that true or just Blind’s preference for Google? Are there cases of Google L6 moving to Amazon L7? And more importantly, when Amazon L7 moves to Google, do they get Google L6 or Google L7 ? UPDATE: For folks talking about difference in starting levels (Amazon L4 vs Google L3), note that L8 is director at both Amazon and Google. So the levels do converge as you move up
The numbers aren't aligned. Google entry level is L3, Amazon entry level is L4.
While is true, the scope of every level as you go up can change. I’d expect an Amazon L6 to map to Google L5.. but Principal used to be huge deal during my time. Is that still the case at Amazon?
Google you can do L3 - L5 with EE SE SE at end of each 2 year cycle, thus lots of new grad if not most hit L5 in 4 years. Amazon L6 is way more difficult, very few people can go from L4 - L6 within 5 years. Principal is still a huge thing in Amazon, even it is not like it was in 2017 (when they made it a tiny bit easier) but it is still very difficult, from ratio perspective Amazon L6:L7 is about 14:1. Consider L4:L6 ratio is about 7:1 or 8:1, and a “healthy” org should have roughly same L5s as L4s, on average an L7 engineer at Amazon advises an org with about 100 L4s 100L5s and 10 L6s. In contrast, one of my college friends led a 4 person team project and got to L6 at Google.
Google starts at L3 for SDE1. Amazon starts at L4 for SDE1. So L6 at google is same as L7 at Amazon.
while true for L4-L6, not so true for L7 and above
L6 at Amazon is a huge range and it’s a very big step to get promoted to L7. I like Google’s L6 which is a step where you are actually acting half like an Amazon PE and half like an Amazon Senior scope and activities wise.
A low end Amazon L7 (say internal promo who just started) maps to Google L6 High end L7 is Google L7
If talking about L7 ics in amazon I havent known anyone mapped to Google L7 ic. For managers its a differrnt story
We just gave an offer to a Google L7 Amazon L7, and recruited someone to Amazon L7 who had an offer to Google L7, and I have something on the table for L7 SWE. What you describe happens. Few engineers move between Google and Amazon. Amazon doesn’t have a strong engineering culture like Google but Amazon PEs don’t stay at Google long because Google L6-7 is being a minion compared to the visibility and leverage you have at Amazon. PS: I’m an AWS PE and worked for Google for a decade.
Direction of move, and years at level matters. Also Home grown experienced L7 of Amazon is a big deal compared to new externally hired L7. It takes a village of workforce to promote internally at Amazon. A Amazon L7 may move to Google L7 (or less likely Google L6). Google L6 may move to Amazon L7 (Amazon is no more attractive place for Googlers, so it happens mostly in dreams 😅)
Amazon L7 promos require moving mountains. Amazon L7 maps to Google L7. I know Amazon L6 close to L7 promo move to Google as L7.
The bar for an Amazon L7 is far less compared to the bar of Google L6. Getting into Google is very hard and their hiring bar is much more uniform compared to Amazon. I know full of shit L7's at Amazon. At the end, it depends on how you performed on the interview day.
I know many L6 Googlers who moved to Amazon at L7. I don’t know a single Amazon L7 who moved to Google for L7. I’m sure it happens, but it’s the exception.
How’s the Google work life balance in the DC area?
Less scope for the same pay.
Citation? Moving to Amazon as a PE almost increased my comp by 35% from Google L6. Im a high L7 but I get tons of executive and L8+ recruiting emails from FAANG and similar. TC: 900k.
You got hired at Amazon as an L7 with 900k package?