Is it worth moving from Google to Amazon. Blind is brutal against Amazon but anybody with unbiased opinion here?
You’ve got to remember that people who faced issues will complain but someone who’s having a good time will not make a “I’m having a good time at ____ place”
I'm having a good time at eBay place
Honestly wouldn’t do the move. Amazon is soul sucking, it’s not sustainable long term
L6+ engineers get a lot of leniency to do whatever they want. Mainly because if you don’t let them, they will go somewhere else in the company where they can. If you are someone that can frequently identify measurable high impact areas of improvement/innovation with a reasonable amount of investment (i.e. weeks not months), Amazon is the place to be. Yes you will run into politics, especially when you rely on other teams to deliver, but that’s the nature of the beast. If you need to be told what to do, it’s not the best place for you.
Well I suffer from a different problem, I don't need to be told what to do but I am not allowed to do what I can do. Basically, I am being forced to work how the "senior" engineers on my team think is the way and it becomes frustrating
At the risk of sounding cheeky, people need to know they can trust you can think more strategically. So, build trust incrementally. Find the opportunities, then prove with data that your proposal should be taken seriously. Your manager should help you navigate through this. If you honestly think it’s your team holding you back, find another team and move on. Amazon has a “leave your team whenever you want” policy exactly for this reason. Vote with your feet.
I think as an SDE3 you could do that it especially if youa re stuck at L5.
If you're happy at Google, I wouldn't. If you're bored, I'd consider giving it a try. Amazon doesn't baby its engineers. The culture is also a strong taste and definitely isn't for everyone. If the LPs sound like your kind of Kool-Aid, then you'll like it here. I don't think Amazon misrepresents its culture, so just make sure it's for you.
It’s not the work but the people, it attracts and retains or transforms into a certain kind.. rude disrespectful and bully like
Amazon is a great place, especially for Senior engineers (l6 and above). More scope and responsibilities compared to a G L5. Also a chance to become a manager if you want that option.
I like Amazon, yes it is brutal, but if you survive you will survive anywhere. Especially in high competition teams. TC wise it is not the best, no free food (but I don’t care much about free food). Still I was pretty happy and successful (until I realized how much money I was leaving on the table by not jumping the ship). If you think you will not grow at G anymore, why not trying a startup?
The opinions on Blind are not biased.