Amazon

• The pay is good.
• There are plenty of exciting and challenging problems to solve.
• Most ICs who work here are very smart and nice or professional.

• It has turned into the next IBM since Jassy took over, with little innovation, just trying to squeeze profit out of everything, and no more opportunities for bottom-up ideas.
• Everyone is overworked since they're trying to prove that AI can replace developers, though it can't yet.
• The performance evaluation process is opaque and rubbish. Anyone who's moved past the young and single part of their life can't compete and will eventually be managed out despite the company's stated diversity goals, or you'll rarely see your spouse and kids.
• There is a lot of office politics. Most management, especially at the VP level and above, is harsh and will throw anything and everyone under the bus to advance their careers unless you suck up to them. This unfortunately means that coworkers and fellow ICs can't afford to be compassionate even if they want to be, and they will occasionally need to stab you in the back just to make sure they don't get a bad rating or keep their top rating so they can get promoted.
• While the pay is competitive, the benefits are not. They're not complete trash, but you can get better almost anywhere else.

Stand up against the higher levels of leadership. Do everything you can to protect the ICs under you from the harsh mandates coming down from the top. Encourage the managers and directors one to two levels above you to push back too.