Recruited by Amazon

Mar 15, 2018 11 Comments

I’m an L65 CSA at Microsoft and being recruited by Amazon. I haven’t interviewed yet but I’m considering.

I’ve got a good 25 years experience in software and solutions dev and architecture with a lot of breadth.

Questions for those at Amazon or Microsofties that moved:

What level would that be equivalent to?
Can you share benefits details, ex, salary, bonus, stocks & vesting, 401k match, (for a Solutions Architect, perks, flexibility (in a field role) time off, etc.. (particularly time off, I have aging parents and need to travel overseas)

Any big cultural issues/differences to be aware of?

Ex, is it collaborative? Are you encouraged to think outside the box? Is the company interested in listening to those that come from outside or is it a ‘we know better’ culture? Is it a speak up culture or are you discouraged from raising issues/concerns?

What’s the best thing you like about working at Amazon?
What’s the worst thing?

Thanks.

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TOP 11 Comments
  • Amazon
    SadFace

    Go to company page Amazon

    SadFace
    FYI benefits are non existent
    Mar 15, 2018 0
  • Amazon
    -4°

    Go to company page Amazon

    -4°
    L7 at Amazon, do not join as 6 or you will regret taking a step down for no reason. Ask for 500.
    Mar 15, 2018 3
  • Amazon
    🐶eat🐶

    Go to company page Amazon

    🐶eat🐶
    Collaboration mostly relies on something goes 4 levels up and director/vp asking get it done by EoD. Asking nicely will get you nowhere. Thinking out of box gets you PIPed.
    Amazon think they are too great for using your outside experience so expect shit all fuckep up the Amazon way. Extremely anti-open source culture, reinvent every possible wheel to build the grand Amazon dependency hell
    Mar 15, 2018 2
    • OP
      Anti open source sounds surprising! Coming from Microsoft that had embraced open source, I always assumed AWS was open source friendly. Thanks for that feedback, I’ll make sure to ask in the interview about open source penetration. Given that this is a field role, wouldn’t they use what the customers prefer?
      Mar 15, 2018
    • Amazon
      🐶eat🐶

      Go to company page Amazon

      🐶eat🐶
      AWS tries to sell a vendor lockin proprietary implementation instead (the store brand of software). Not a single project other than awscli on Amazon github says a lot about Amazon's view on open source
      Mar 15, 2018
  • OP, friend is looking at a similar role at MSFT — can you share your TC or a range? He also has at least 20 yrs experience
    Nov 19, 2018 0
  • Amazon
    Humility

    Go to company page Amazon

    PRE
    Microsoft, Oracle
    Humility
    Min L7 or L8,
    Oct 23, 2018 0