CompensationJul 17, 2018

What does Amazon's refreshers look like for L4, L5 levels?

I know Microsoft pays shitty refreshers whereas Google, Fb, Apple pay good refreshers. How about Amazon?

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Google saywutt Jul 17, 2018

Don't think they exist. You will hear "stock is performing so far above expectations you are already well above your target compensation. Congrats!!"

Uber GNrk55 Jul 17, 2018

0 and 0

Amazon realJeffB Jul 17, 2018

The highest I’ve heard of was 7% and that was to keep a TT from leaving the company. I got the highest raise on my team and I got 2% and no stock.

Apple cho Chang Jul 17, 2018

What is TT?

Amazon realJeffB Jul 17, 2018

Top Tier, the highest rank you can get during yearly review. There’s also Highly Valued and Lowers Expectations.

Microsoft VlCX25 Jul 17, 2018

Didn’t they give stock grants on promos? (Hard to make senior there tho)

Amazon anonmoon Jul 17, 2018

From L4 to L5 my promo was a small salary increase (10%) and a "stock is performing so far above expectations you are already well any stock will put you above the median for L5 target compensation. Congrats!!"

Amazon AqKS23 Jul 17, 2018

You have a target total compensation and refreshers are intended to have you meet that target in the next 2 years based on what you were previously granted (with expected stock growth) together with base pay.

Airbnb Mondaye Jul 17, 2018

They define this based on *expected* stock growth? If the stock doesn’t grow that much, or goes down, what happens then? Do they just increase the refreshers for future years and say “oops” or make it up in cash?

Amazon FWIW Jul 17, 2018

I asked this of HRBP a while back. The response I got from her was when stock price isn't doing well, that everyone has to sacrifice. So no, if price goes down, they don't guarantee a top up. I lost a lot of confidence in Amazon after that discussion.

Amazon fjsk86jrt Jul 17, 2018

I've been there 3.5 years and every year got the outstanding performance (the highest you can achieve) and yet didn't get anything other than some joke (like 10k value of stock at most), because of the same reason the first person commented here: "The stock is doing so well that you're getting more than expected". Even when I got promoted from SDE1 (L4) to SDE2 (L5), I just got the regular salary increase (from 103k to 131k) and nothing else.

Airbnb Mondaye Jul 17, 2018

What kind of TC numbers are we talking here, say for SDE2 or SDE3?

Amazon fjsk86jrt Jul 17, 2018

SDE1 and 2. It was actually the same scenario for my friend who got hired as SDE2 the same time I got hired, and got promoted to SDE3 the same time I got promoted to SDE2. They said the exact same thing to both of us, and none of us got any stock/cash (just the regular salary increase).

Microsoft VlCX25 Jul 17, 2018

So why do people stay there after 4 years or when their on-hire stock grant completely vests if there’s no refresher of any sort? To get the special badges?

Microsoft Eid OP Jul 17, 2018

^ This is exactly why I posted this question.

Smartsheet punty Jul 17, 2018

If you are promoted you can expect a nice refresher. I guess if you can’t get promoted to the next level in 4 years than amazon doesn’t mind losing your ass