Amazon PIP
I recently got a job offer from Amazon. I see lot of posts here where people were put into PIP. Is it a wise decision to join Amazon now?
What is PIP
Performance improvement plan
Translation: "a couple months of the worst hell you've experienced, then we'll probably fire you" Alternate translation: "Go get a lawyer immediately and negotiate severance"
My understanding is that Amazon is a tough place to work. They are also doing layoffs. So if you are not at the top of your game then donāt join them. If you are confident that you are good at what you do then go ahead ....
If you're not a slacker, chances are you'll do fine. There just isn't any place to rest and vest here. You could always end up in a shitty team, in which case you can switch immediately.
Which team?
If you are coming at sde2+ level, you should be fine. As sde1 it is difficult to change teams.
No. It's never a good idea. They will not treat you like a human being.
Please note that sometimes PIPs are due to badluck. You might be a good performer but under a shitty manager and team. The chances of that are quiet high!
As a past amazon employee, I can easily say this comment is spot on! My manager got personal with me and from somewhere I just got to know heās about to document my ādev planā. I immediately resigned as I didnāt want to go through that bullshit. I tried everything possible, changing my role, changing my team within same role, talking with HR, transferring to different country. What I didnāt know all my efforts are going against me as my manager was giving bad feedback about me and ruining my reputation that I built with real hard work. All because I questioned some of his decision and he didnāt like it. Amazon has given your immediate manager immense power. Nothing, absolutely nothing that you can do without getting pass him/her. This is not as open culture as described by āmarketingā (Iāll rate google much better place to work in that sense). If you ever go to HR and say anything negative about your manager, start counting your days!
Super spot on! Happened to me.
Amazon interviews is extremely easy, they hire a lot of people. They also fires very quickly, if you are placed on pip you are already gone. Thatās their way of filtering out people. Instead of hiring the best of the best like some other top companies do, they hire quickly and fire quickly, keeping only the high performers. Pretty genius if you ask me.
I think thatās just AWS homie. And thatās if youāre not following the carrot on the stick. If you do, youāll be fine š
No alternate offers?
No other offers!