Amazon is a dynamic fast-paced environment that offers many opportunities, but little in the way of work-life balance.
Pros
Amazon pays better than other tech companies, such as Google or Microsoft. Signing bonuses of $50k are common for mid-level positions, and up to $100k signing bonuses occur with regularity. It’s usual half in cash, half in stock grants. The cash is over two years, the stock over four.
Cons
As opposed to most other tech companies, Amazon is a low cost RETAILER. Amazon teams are notoriously short staffed, from high turnover and from intentionally lean budgets. Be prepared to work 80+ hours a week, flat out, week after week. It’s common to work weekends, and overnight. With the rapid fire pace, Amazonians are always taking shortcuts. That means crappy initial code, poor QA and no documentation (isn’t a good thing when you have high turnover). I can’t understate how intense, stressful and unbalanced the work-life is here. Amazon offers none of the extravagant benefits that other tech companies do. You get health insurance, and that’s about it. (there are annual stock grants tied to your review performance, but most consider this to be part of your wage compensation). Oh, and you get a total of $100 off of Amazon sold products per year. Yippie! In addition to lacking any balance, the environment is highly politically and hierarchy-based, and filled with newbie tech managers, many of whom have no managerial skills or experience (remember the high turnover). By running the company with an anemically lean staff, paying no benefits and squeezing every bit of life out of their employees, Amazon saves money… a lot of money. So much so, that they can throw a little of it back in the form of industry leading pay rates (if you negotiate for it). But don’t be fooled by the carrot, once you a lured in, you’ll get hit with the stick.
