Different Bars - Software Development Manager Amazon Employee Review

3.0
16 Nov 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazon has wide variety of products to work on. E-commerce, AWS, Amazon Chime, Alexa etc and this allows team members to work on different things. Good structured ways of doing things and well defined process for conducting interview, performance management, data-point driven promotion etc. Quarterly promotion cycles upto L6 which means that even if you miss a little a thing here or there, you don't have to wait for 6 months or a year. Concept of BR is unique and there is wide variety of it (Hiring BR, CM BR, COE BR, Infoset BR, Ux BR...). An amazing document writing culture where things are data-driven.

Cons

If you are joining as external candidate, please note that Amazon hiring bar is different than internal promotion bar. So in the hiring process, they will insist you need 10 years for L6, 15 for L7 etc, but internally there are folks with L6 at 5, L7 at 8-10. Hiring bar is also" better than 50% at a particular level", but promotion bar is only entry level of a bracket. This means that you will slowly move from imposter syndrome to Dunning–Kruger as you work with internally grown colleagues. For external hires, cultural adjustments will also take sometime. Overall you may end up growing slowly than your internal peers even after clearing so-called 50% bar. If you are working in non-Seattle locations, especially eastern economies, there are chances that some of the management have made their way in through middle level companies and they are making big money as Amazon has expanded big time with bloated egos. Providing insights to them is not easy. "Learn and Be Curious" leadership principle is regularly violated if you are coming from outside and have your suggestions/opinions. You will hear things to the tone of "This is what we do at Amazon" Amazon has met with lots of success recently, but from a bar perspective they are equivalent to other companies like Microsoft, Paypal, Adobe etc, despite what they tell you.

Explore other reviews about Amazon

5.0
2 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazon offers an exceptional work environment with cutting-edge technology and world-class engineering challenges. The compensation package is highly competitive, including strong base salary, RSUs, and comprehensive benefits. Career growth opportunities are abundant — there are clear promotion paths and access to internal mobility across thousands of teams globally. The scale of impact is unmatched; you work on systems that serve hundreds of millions of customers worldwide. Colleagues are incredibly talented, driven, and collaborative, making every project both challenging and rewarding.

Cons

The pace can be fast and demanding at times, which requires strong time management skills. Work-life balance may vary depending on the team and project deadlines.

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.

3159
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All