AWS vs Azure - How it compares

Microsoft / Eng
Azure GB

Go to company page Microsoft Eng

Azure GB
Mar 29, 2017 21 Comments

I was at AWS as SDE2 and joined Azure as Senior (63).

Here's a roughly how I feel, having worked at both places:

Azure Pros:
1- WLB is much better - 40-45 hours is norm in my org.

2 - Culture is 100x better. Manager cares about employees. Family oriented. Despite all the hate/trolls in Blind on MSFT, culture in Azure (my org) is really good.

3. Work is very challenging and fulfilling. Azure is behind AWS, hence everyone is open to ideas.

4. Had my 1st review recently, and it went very well. No paranoia feeling, unlike I had in Amazon.

5. No frugality. I am using a Surface Book and it's awesome!

AWS Pros:

1. Not tied to C#/MS tech stack. Top notch architecture and ahead of Azure.

2. Customer obsession drives everything. Azure is more obsessed with catching up to AWS and serving to enterprise. I suspect this will change.

3. More talented co-workers/peers.

Overall, both are great places to work, but I would not go back to Amazon.

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TOP 21 Comments
  • Amazon
    ก็็็็็็็็็

    Go to company page Amazon

    ก็็็็็็็็็
    As feedback for us. What specific aspects of the Azure culture would you have liked at Amazon?
    Mar 29, 2017 1
  • Great comparison! I moved from Amazon to Microsoft and I have almost the same experience.

    Feedback to Amazon: Treat employees better. Have empathy. Stop hiring employees in your level to get to the next level.

    Feedback to Microsoft: Have customer empathy! Stop being obsessed about competition.
    Mar 29, 2017 0
  • Oracle / Eng
    Jardis

    Go to company page Oracle Eng

    PRE
    Amazon, Microsoft
    Jardis
    Well I worked at Microsoft Azure, AWS and now Oracle Cloud. I agree with what has been said. I would had some pro/cons for oracle cloud:

    Pro:
    -culture is neither amazon neither Microsoft. It is in between. The Seattle office is only constituted of ex aws and ex azure. We still work backwards from customers but with the WLB of Microsoft.
    We have 6 pagers and useful meeting like amazon but don't have the hard review on every single typo you could make.

    -salary. You make easily 50% more than msft and 30% than amazon

    -people : only 10+ years experienced people. Mostly sde II sr or principal from amazon and msft. There isn't much need for babysitting engineers know where they are going

    -feeling you are the outsider. That nobody likes you and you have everything to prove (it is a pro for me)

    Cons:
    -most people will hate you on blind and it is a step down on your resume especially compare to amazon

    -the team in Seattle isn't really oracle. We are pirates that build our own ship without much help from HQ. There is some weirdness due to this (pain to make offers, pain to understand overall company strategy...).
    Mar 29, 2017 5
  • Google
    snjsjsisk

    Go to company page Google

    snjsjsisk
    would be cool to get someone from Google clouds perspective who worked at either azure or AWS to weigh in
    Mar 29, 2017 3
  • How is not tied to C# a pro for aws when the alternative is fucking java.

    I should switch to azure.
    Mar 29, 2017 3