Software Development Engineer(SDE-II) - Software Development Engineer(SDE-II) Amazon Employee Review

4.0
Jul 21, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good Salary Broad range of technologies Challenging problems Good health benefits Flexible teams that can(for the most part) choose tools and processes that are suitable for them and their environment. It is very easy move to another team if you are unhappy or unchallenged. I started at Amazon to broaden my technical skills, increase my salary and work on exciting technology and challenging projects. So far(~1 year in), I made the right choice. I'm surrounded by smart people with amazing insights into a large array of tools, technologies and difficult problems around scale, customer service, and security.

Cons

Very few "extras", as compared to other large software/internet companies. Smart people aren't always the easiest to get along with. I've found that a high number of Amazonians lack good social skills and ability to function well on a team. Seattle-centric culture. Varies from team-to-team. Dev managers tend to act more as TPMs, focused on delivery rather than team development, and in some cases choose aggressive delivery over quality.

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5.0
Apr 15, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Strong engineering culture with emphasis on ownership and scalability Opportunity to work on large-scale distributed systems Good compensation and benefits compared to industry average Exposure to modern cloud technologies and internal tools

Cons

Work-life balance can be inconsistent depending on team On-call responsibilities can be demanding High expectations and performance pressure Internal processes can sometimes be complex

5.0
Jan 10, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really smart people, a lot of opportunity for growth, always encouraged to be innovative, think big, and create something new. Competitive salary and benefits with other major tech companies. 100% self motivating work environment. No dress code and 4 legged friends are welcome.

Cons

You have to be self motivated. NO ONE will hold your hand and tell you that you're doing a great job. If you need constant affirmations from management, this company isn't for you.

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