Amazon

I work in Amazon Web Services and love that we are given freedom in the projects we work on and get to work with smart people. I found coworkers to be genuine and without egos or attitude. The fact that all of the professionals have a stake in the company through stock units means everyone is working hard to achieve results.

I found that the leveling of employees is all over the map and depends a lot on the region, team, and managers. I also found that compensation varies greatly, and you have to negotiate well when you come in. The promo process is not clear, and often you can ride the coattails of some project or deal that has done well.

Managers change a lot, and I have had 7 in 2 years. Stack ranking is in the team, and not getting clear feedback keeps us in the dark as to how we are doing.

With so many Amazonians all over the USA and the world, and the large amount of turnover (especially with managers changing often), keeping the culture of innovation going is difficult. We need to have programs and activities to promote the culture.