Limited Opportunity for Growth - SDE2 Amazon Employee Review

3.0
26 Oct 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great pay, good location (downtown seattle), fairly straight-forward work on stable teams.

Cons

Short-term thinking: management gives you a lot of freedom but ultimately only care about the metrics they're reporting to their boss every week. Management is encouraged to be very brutal on their reports in reviews. They have quotas for how many bad/negative reviews they need to write. Very few promotions are handed out so you'll be competing against other under-leveled engineers. It's as much based on the number of years as anything. You'll have to wait your turn. Managers are very inconsistent with technical ownership. Some get involved with architecture and care deeply. Others don't show up when invited technical meetings or asked to help with disagreements. You're likely going to have to deal with both at one point or another as managers seem to move around and quit often. Most teams require you to be on-call. You'll get called-in to support other teams even if your own service is reliable. Poor benefits compared to any other tech company.

Explore other reviews about Amazon

5.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Competitive hourly pay in many locations Benefits may include health insurance and tuition assistance Flexible scheduling options at some warehouses Opportunities for overtime and extra pay Entry-level job with minimal experience required

Cons

Physically demanding work with long hours standing or lifting Fast-paced environment with strict productivity targets Repetitive tasks can become tiring Work schedules may include nights, weekends, or holidays High stress during peak shopping seasons like holidays

5.0
10 Jan 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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