Amazon reviews

It's no secret that compensation is a major pain point of working at Amazon. While HR claims that compensation is "industry average", it takes into account salary, benefits and stock. The restricted stock units take at least 3-5 years to vest, so unless you stay for that long, you're not really getting industry average. Benefits are run of the mill; nothing special and no real perks. Amazon is also famously known for its high turnover. I remember on my first day at the new employee training, someone told me that the average person doesn't stay for more than 18 months. I now understand why (especially since I left exactly at the 18 month mark). Amazon works their employees hard (see aforementioned lean teams) and they're pretty nonapologetic for it. The feeling you get is that you should be lucky that you get to work there. Seeing as it is an extremely successful and highly respected corporation, I get it. But at the same time, it can be incredibly frustrating. The lean teams means that promotions and movement from team to team is challenging. While the level of job flexibility (timings, working from home, etc.) differs from department to department, it tends to be pretty rigid.

The intensity would be too much for anyone to deal with. It is very normal for senior-management to yell at each other in large groups and employees. Managers get right in your face. I've always been on the top tier of employee reviews which doesn't matter. Everyone at Amazon is anxiously waiting to get out. So many statements and commitments were broken from the time I interviewed to the time I got the job. My boss changed his tune about almost every issue.