this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2024
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Current environment at Amazon (programming.dev)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by tinker_james@programming.dev to c/cs_career_questions@programming.dev
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Hello all! I'm a senior dev at a bank and am considering making my second attempt at Amazon's interview process. My first attempt was almost two years ago. Made it through the code challenge but not the four interviews.

I wanted to hear from current Amazon devs what it's like there right now. Pros? Cons? Any insight given current market dynamics?

I have a young family now and so going through the process again would truly be an investment for me. My main motivation is the comp package, having the big A on my resume, and seeing what it's like in the big leagues.

Do sane people still try to get jobs there? Are you walking on egg shells waiting for the layoff hammer to drop?

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[โ€“] swordsmanluke@programming.dev 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I worked in AWS for four years. While there I worked for two different teams.

The first team was the worst job I've ever had. I broke four molars in a year, grinding my jaw in my sleep.

The second team I had a great boss. Still one of the best I've ever had. But even at its best - I would never consider working for Amazon again.

I have a whole rant if you want one, but suffice to say that in Seattle - where Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Google all have campuses - Amazon is widely considered the worst of the lot.

Amazon: Worst life balance. Worst dev equipment. Burns people out and uses golden handcuffs to trap new hires. But hey, sometimes the desks are made of actual doors and 4x4s.

Microsoft: boring and political AF, but you can get a private office.

Google: restaurants and best dev equipment, but the work is largely dull - they have enough world-class experts in X that you probably won't get to do anything interesting.

Meta: is contributing to the erosion of our civil society. But a lot of cutting edge VR/AR stuff is happening out here, so that's cool.

If you want stability and comp, I'd recommend applying to Meta or Microsoft. Both pay as well or better than Amazon and have a harder time with recruiting, making them slightly slower to churn through employees.

Alternately, if you pursue Amazon, note the following:

  1. Do. Not. Spend. Your. "Signing Bonus". It is a trap. If you leave within 2 years of hiring, you have to pay it back.
  2. As soon as you start and get settled in your housing, begin prepping for your next job hunt - just in case. A FAANG on your resume is recruiter-nip. Getting big company interviews becomes much easier if you land a job at any one of them. If you have followed Step #1, you can easily parlay an Amazon position into a much better position elsewhere.
  3. Some people love Amazon - it's possible you could be one of them! It doesn't hurt to interview. If the job fits and you're careful to avoid the golden handcuffs, landing at Amazon definitely opens doors.

Finally, there's nothing special about the "Big Leagues" - 99% of the job is still glorified string manipulation. Don't let that idea intimidate you. Most of the best engineers I've worked with were at small companies (5 out of the 6 or so that come to mind - only 1 was an Amazonian engineer). I saw plenty of bad code inside the walls of Amazon - the industry skill level really is a lot more flat than companies like to pretend.

[โ€“] tinker_james@programming.dev 2 points 8 months ago

Thanks for the detailed write up! Send the "whole rant" my way. I'd read it.