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Mixed bag. Good people, good technology, lots to learn, but a challenging culture and poor career trajectory

Software Development Engineer
Current Employee
Has worked at Amazon for 2 years
December 19, 2013
Seattle, Washington
4.0
Doesn't RecommendPositive OutlookNo CEO Opinion
Pros

You will learn a whole lot about doing technology at scale, and you'll have the best tools and processes to support you along the way.

Cons

There's a culture of demanding a whole lot of output, and it surrounds the path to promotion with a lot of political nonsense. Did your manager change this year? Sorry, can't get a promotion. Is your director of engineering new to the company? Sorry, nobody under him is getting promoted to Senior for the next year and a half.

There's a lot of talk about data-driven planning, but it all goes out the window when someone says, "Jump!" "Where's the data about where we're jumping?" "No time for data! Business opportunity! I said so!"

Advice to Management

The company is growing too fast, and the culture is being diluted. Do something about it, or this isn't going to be the Amazon you believe in very soon.

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