Smart people, soulless work environment - Software Engineer II Amazon Employee Review

2.0
13 Jan 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

My coworkers were smart and motivated; it was great to be around people who were genuinely interested in fixing problems and making high quality code. Lots of mobility within the company.

Cons

The entire corporate structure places an enormous focus on raw metrics and tends to throw everything else out the window. This results in terrible / oversimplified decisions from above that result in unrealistic timelines, long hours, mountains of technical debt, hellish on-call schedules, and a surprising amount of upper-management petty drama. The company never lets you forget that you have no value outside of your shipped code.

Explore other reviews about Amazon

5.0
1 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Amazon is a very good company to work for with great people."

Cons

"Compensation is too low for the level of responsibility we have."

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
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