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Current environment at Amazon (self.cs_career_questions)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by tinker_james to c/cs_career_questions

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Hello all! I'm a senior dev at a bank and am considering making my second attempt at Amazon's interview process. My first attempt was almost two years ago. Made it through the code challenge but not the four interviews.

I wanted to hear from current Amazon devs what it's like there right now. Pros? Cons? Any insight given current market dynamics?

I have a young family now and so going through the process again would truly be an investment for me. My main motivation is the comp package, having the big A on my resume, and seeing what it's like in the big leagues.

Do sane people still try to get jobs there? Are you walking on egg shells waiting for the layoff hammer to drop?

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I just recently left AWS after just shy of 3 years. The environment when I left was pretty bleak, but that could be because I left just after the layoffs (due to the return-to-team initiative, “forcing” me to move cities). Moral was low and people were really dragging their feet. From my contacts still there, it seems like burnout continues to be a real problem, despite/because of the attrition from layoffs and RTT/RTO.

Overall my experience was fine, but it will vary depending on the team you end up on. I can also only speak on AWS, as Amazon is essentially a different company. The tech and tooling is dogshit (except for some of the new stuff in Rust). Getting anything done is like walking through molasses, but the deadlines are scoped as if you can walk normally. Some managers are chill, others aren’t. Getting a promotion is a major pain in the ass, and they love down-leveling on hiring, so avoid that trap.

My suggestion if none of the above bothers you is to avoid any high-profile team, such as S3 or EC2. They know they attract everyone who wants to put it on their resume, so they have some of the worst culture I’ve ever seen (on-call you don’t sleep for that week).

[–] tinker_james 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Thanks for the in-depth reply!