Amazon

1. I see many people saying Amazon uses employees in crazy ways. That's not true, at least to me or anyone I know. It really depends on the individual employees to maintain work-life balance. In my org, no one is forced to work a minimum number of hours. You control your own pace as long as you deliver on time. I probably work overtime (> 8 hours/day) once every few months. I was still able to be promoted to the next level in less than two years.

2. Management is really hit or miss. And this is true for all companies, I believe. When you have a healthy management chain up to the VP level, as I do, your manager and skip-level manager care about you as an individual contributor.

3. Minimum politics you have to hear about. At least among the SDEs I know, there's no politics in their work.

4. You are the owner. Instead of having multiple people owning the same project, like what I've experienced in other tech companies, at Amazon, you are the owner of your project. You get all the credit for the good things you've done, and no one can take it away from you. You own the COEs when you make mistakes. Learning and growing from your mistakes is a very healthy way to your growth (and promotion).

5. Trust me, as long as you are capable, Amazon is the place for you to shine. If you are not that solid on your skills, learn the hard way. You will be very capable and confident, even if you decide to try other career opportunities.

Amazon is not a good fit for you if you are not capable or not curious about learning. You will feel there's no work-life balance since you cannot deliver.

1. Still, we do not provide a free lunch. But comparing to the company's growth (stock), do you still care about $200 for lunch every month? Also, you know nothing is free unless you earn it. This is super helpful if you want to grow into a leader or start your own business. Do not be tricked by just free stuff and feel like contributing your whole life to the company which just treats you a little better.

2. You do not get a free Prime membership just because you are a full-time employee. Think of it this way: Amazon has 400k+ employees. There would be a revolution if the company gave only some of its employees free membership.