Amazon

Standards are extremely high. You will be surprised, possibly frustrated, by the level of rigor that goes into decision making. Lean into that and don't fight it; you'll come out better and respected on the other side.

Lean into the doc writing culture. Expect your first 10 docs to be excessively critiqued. Once you master writing, it's the most powerful weapon at Amazon for getting things done.

Amazon is a very well-run company, compared to other places I've worked. It has its warts, but they generally make well-thought decisions. The annual planning cycle takes 6-9 months to give you a sense.

Very easy to move laterally. If you get bored or have a crappy manager, within a year or two, you can always do something completely different.

People can be tough. I was lucky to work with good people for the most part, but if you have a bad manager or team, you don't have much recourse other than to switch teams. I tried to be really nice to people, and that helped a lot. Just expect to be judged a lot, and not everyone assumes the best intent. Once you adjust your expectations, you'll have an easier time.

Amazon levels have no bearing on the outside world. As an L7, you could be a VP at other companies. Beware of how you present yourself outside of Amazon on LinkedIn or when looking for other jobs. Focus on your scope and impact and call your title what you think it is based on what you do/did.

Promotion is extremely hard, especially at the higher levels. Expect to be at your level for more than 5 years before even being considered for Director. That path is long and hard.