Job offer from Amazon - can any mustachians offer insights to company culture?

[pac_NW]

Hello all - looking for some insights into the Amazon company culture as I consider joining the company. The role is a mid-level individual contribution role in Seattle. I have done much research - books, glassdoor, Internet.  Looking to see if there are some mustachians who work there or have worked there and can offer insights to the culture. Appreciate all responses - thanks in advance.

[norabird]

I knew two high-level people who went there from mainstream book publishers to do publishing ops type stuff--I assume they learned a great deal but neither stayed more than a few years. I think they were very very ready to leave when they did.

[fallstoclimb]

I know a programmer who moved across the country to work there, but was desperate to get out after just a few months and quickly left for a start-up.  I know he wasn't happy with the culture, but knowing the programmer, I doubt it was about too much unpaid overtime or anything -- I think he didn't like the programming...language?  methods?  (I don't know I'm not a programmer) and just the general way things were run.  That said, YMMV, etc. 

[gimp]

I have friends working in their labs (hardware devices) and they love it. At the very least, it should be good work and good pay.

[Taranis]

Highly depends on the department. I've known many people that work there / have worked there, all with similar experiences. Overall theme is they pay well, right down to the secretaries, but they expect you to work hard for it. In most of the tech areas, that generally means working until you burn out a year or two down the road. These are just generalizations, so no telling what experience you would have, but I have heard these main themes enough to know they are often the case.

So if the work sounds interesting, and the pay is satisfactory (should be on the higher end), and you are willing to work hard, then it should be worth it for at least a couple years. This could be a good deal to give you that last big kick before FI, but it will take it's tole on you. Worse case you find another less demanding job in the Seattle area (lots of them). =)

[Dr. Doom]

I know one guy, a developer for AWS (their web services division.)
Great comp, good teammates, average management, interesting stock package, and interesting work but DAMN did he work a lot of hours of unpaid OT.  It struck me as the sort of place that provides awesome comp with the expectation that you will really devote yourself to the job.  He stayed three years and left for something less demanding.  (Failed, actually, new job is just as demanding.)

That being said, from the outside (me) looking in (at him) it struck me as a pretty standard IT/programming job.  Most of them are fast-paced with high expectations. 

Also, it's important to note that there can be wide variations between different groups and departments, even within companies.  In my experience, some simply work harder than others.

[ShortInSeattle]

I don't work there, so I can only speak to what I've heard from friends.

I hear they have a dog-eat-dog work culture and poor work-life balance. If you're the whole "my job is my life" type looking for good pay and a techie culture - it could be a good fit.  I've heard that each department does it's own thing - which can be good or bad depending on who the boss is.  They are a meritocracy - they offer a lot of perks to high performers and tend to treat the rest as disposable - if the stories I've heard can be believed.

The people who I know who stay there long term really love the "fast paced, work hard" environment. I think for a Type-A person it could be a great fit.

[pac_NW]

Thank you all for the replies - very helpful and supports my research.

[Cressida]

I work across the street (literally) from Amazon and know a few people who work there, but all of them are relatively new. They've all said it's very busy but they appear to be not yet burned out.

I can tell you that the neighborhood is nice and there are scads of restaurants, takeout places, food trucks. Of course, as a Mustachian you would ignore those. :)

[ejw001]

I work at one of the vendors to their HR team and we actually just went to a big event there last week.  From the outside in, and based on what they're talking about and buying from us, they're at least trying to do all the "right" things.  Everyone obviously works really hard and expectations seemed high, but there was also a lot of lounging around with a laptop drinking coffee (each of their buildings has at least 1 coffee shop inside it), collaborating, and friendship-forming going on.  I saw signs for lots of different committees that are available to get involved in.  Every employee I talked to was extremely nice, and the campus is awesome and doesn't even feel campus-y.  You can bring dogs to work, there's no dress code (shorts/t-shirts/flip flops abound), and the vast majority of people are on the younger side.  Someone told me you can just walk into the CEO's office and he'll help out as long as it's something important.

If nothing else, you'll probably work with a great team and get lots of learning opportunities.