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Working for amazon is like joining a fascist cult - you made the right decision. Source - worked for a startup that was acquired by Amazon. My team was slowly

Working for amazon is like joining a fascist cult - you made the right decision. Source - worked for a startup that was acquired by Amazon. My team was slowly managed out of the company and replaced by teams in Seattle. Most of my team was let go by PIP, essentially claiming we weren't "performing at a high enough standard" since they weren't willing to reprehend my boss for being incompetent. However, I'm proud of the fact that in my exit interview my incompetent boss tried to have me give a "reason for my willful exit" to which I responded "oranges". I mostly did this because there was an Amazon HR person on Chime (internal Amazon Skype) during the meeting recording a transcript of the meeting. So at some point, my boss had to explain to her boss why she fired someone and explain why my reason was "oranges". TLDR: Amazon is cheap, doesn't care about workers and is kind of horrible.

mirceal 7y ago
exit interview advice (applies everywhere): politely decline the exit interview. there is zero upside to doing an exit interview
- dickeytk 7y ago
  Call me a naïf, but I think exit interviews are a great way to speak candidly to skip-level managers about dissatisfactions you have—with the aim of making the company you’re leaving potentially a bit better for your colleagues. EDIT: I think “feedback” here is somewhat vague. You guys are talking about issues there would be no point in raising. For me this is not systemic issues. I would bring up more minor things, “I think Chris would be better suited to work on XYZ project”, “The company work parties make me a bit uncomfortable with the amount of alcohol.” “I know Jane wants to be a manager but I’m not sure she’d be so great at it.” I think these fall into the realm where I wouldn’t bring it up before the exit interview, but they might provide some benefit that skip levels would be able to provide.
  - munchbunny 7y ago
    I think it's both admirable and naive. My experience with upper management is that it rots from the top, so if you're quitting due to systemic issues or because of your boss, it's very likely due in part to upper management's inability to listen before something blows up. In game theory terms it's pretty much all downside. If you say nothing or if management sends exit interviews straight to the recycle bin, there is zero payoff for you and zero payoff for anyone else. If you say something and management is bad at listening, you burn bridges and nobody else benefits. If you say something and management is good, you get nothing and others after you benefit. More often than not management is bad at listening. In other words, it never improves anything for you and rarely improves anything for others. I used to be a strong believer in giving honest feedback during exit interviews, but I definitely don't anymore. If upper management actually cared, they would have gotten and acted on the same feedback from current employees, before they quit. I no longer believe in offering crappy management the privilege of a "I quit" wake-up call at the risk of my own professional reputation/relationships.
  - guitarbill 7y ago
    if they really cared to fix it, it wouldn't take you leaving. i guess it depends on who's doing the exit interview. i could see it being beneficial if you have a lot of experience and trust with the manager doing the exit interview (e.g because he managed you before he got promoted). but if you've barely spoken to the person doing the exit interview, it's best to politely decline or simply shut up, so as not to burn bridges.
  - EpicEng 7y ago
    In my experience, the problem with your thinking is that it doesn't play out that way. If management is open to criticism and will actually use that feedback to make changes, you probably realize that fact and have already been giving candid feedback. If they're not open to it, then your openness is just going to burn a bridge. It feels good, and you may not care in the moment, but at beat it's neutral. At worst it hurts you down the road.
    - algaeontoast 7y ago
      I've experienced this indirectly, I was young and naive and figured it'd be best to be honest with why I left a prior startup I was working for, citing issue with my boss' management. Turns out people in that startup knew my boss, didn't get the interview and was blacklisted from my prior boss even though we were on good terms. Learned that lesson the hard way.
  - mirceal 7y ago
    i think that your feedback can and will be misinterpreted to fit a narrative about you leaving. your feedback will also be regarded as biased (you are leaving, right?). the best time to provide feedback is while you still have the job. when you see something that does not work speak up. when the time to go comes, nothing you say should surprise anyone therefore no need for the exit interview and everyone having a bad time in this emotionally charged moments.
  - JakeStone 7y ago
    Exit interviews can lead to you being marked as "Do not rehire" depending on the degree of your candor. It's obviously your call, but for the most part, I've just been as vanilla as possible when leaving, maybe remarking about the lack of compensation increase while working for a state budget determined salary position. That one, everyone groks and I didn't have it bite me in the butt when I came back to work for the local university a year later.
  - balls187 7y ago
    Exit interviews are mainly used for one purpose--documenting any issues that might be used against the company if you choose to sue them. HR is not your friend.
- johnward 7y ago
  I recently had an exit interview at IBM and my manager basically told me not to say anything. There is no point or benefit.
  - mirceal 7y ago
    sounds like your boss got at least one thing right :)
- hef19898 7y ago
  At least in the German system, where you get an kind of official certificate from your former employer that also serves as letter of recommendation, I would never do an exit interview without having that document agreed upon and signed in hand. These things are slow to change, but are still being fought over in courts.
- ryanmarsh 7y ago
  Exit interviews seem like they would be cathartic, and they might be but I can’t see any upside. If, as happened to me, you find out you were let go in a similar manner as others who were high performers but coming up for a bonus you might say things in the exit that might hurt your chances in recovering said bonuses when a colleague (who was owed a $1mm bonus and summarily fired for “performance”) decides to sue.
- jnwatson 7y ago
  If you're leaving for simply a better opportunity, there's nothing wrong with an exit interview. During my last exit interview, I recommended my relatively new manager for a promotion and I later heard he actually got it. I guess they took my advice. Some organizations actually want genuine feedback, and exit interviews are one of those opportunities.
- wishinghand 7y ago
  Never had one, but I've also given no thoughts to them. What's the reason to decline?
  - joncrane 7y ago
    Reason #1: Burning bridges. Reason #2: You are helping a company for free, essentially after they have stopped paying you. A company with whom you no longer want a relationship.

mirceal 7y ago

exit interview advice (applies everywhere): politely decline the exit interview. there is zero upside to doing an exit interview

dickeytk 7y ago
Call me a naïf, but I think exit interviews are a great way to speak candidly to skip-level managers about dissatisfactions you have—with the aim of making the company you’re leaving potentially a bit better for your colleagues. EDIT: I think “feedback” here is somewhat vague. You guys are talking about issues there would be no point in raising. For me this is not systemic issues. I would bring up more minor things, “I think Chris would be better suited to work on XYZ project”, “The company work parties make me a bit uncomfortable with the amount of alcohol.” “I know Jane wants to be a manager but I’m not sure she’d be so great at it.” I think these fall into the realm where I wouldn’t bring it up before the exit interview, but they might provide some benefit that skip levels would be able to provide.
- munchbunny 7y ago
  I think it's both admirable and naive. My experience with upper management is that it rots from the top, so if you're quitting due to systemic issues or because of your boss, it's very likely due in part to upper management's inability to listen before something blows up. In game theory terms it's pretty much all downside. If you say nothing or if management sends exit interviews straight to the recycle bin, there is zero payoff for you and zero payoff for anyone else. If you say something and management is bad at listening, you burn bridges and nobody else benefits. If you say something and management is good, you get nothing and others after you benefit. More often than not management is bad at listening. In other words, it never improves anything for you and rarely improves anything for others. I used to be a strong believer in giving honest feedback during exit interviews, but I definitely don't anymore. If upper management actually cared, they would have gotten and acted on the same feedback from current employees, before they quit. I no longer believe in offering crappy management the privilege of a "I quit" wake-up call at the risk of my own professional reputation/relationships.
- guitarbill 7y ago
  if they really cared to fix it, it wouldn't take you leaving. i guess it depends on who's doing the exit interview. i could see it being beneficial if you have a lot of experience and trust with the manager doing the exit interview (e.g because he managed you before he got promoted). but if you've barely spoken to the person doing the exit interview, it's best to politely decline or simply shut up, so as not to burn bridges.
- EpicEng 7y ago
  In my experience, the problem with your thinking is that it doesn't play out that way. If management is open to criticism and will actually use that feedback to make changes, you probably realize that fact and have already been giving candid feedback. If they're not open to it, then your openness is just going to burn a bridge. It feels good, and you may not care in the moment, but at beat it's neutral. At worst it hurts you down the road.
  - algaeontoast 7y ago
    I've experienced this indirectly, I was young and naive and figured it'd be best to be honest with why I left a prior startup I was working for, citing issue with my boss' management. Turns out people in that startup knew my boss, didn't get the interview and was blacklisted from my prior boss even though we were on good terms. Learned that lesson the hard way.
- mirceal 7y ago
  i think that your feedback can and will be misinterpreted to fit a narrative about you leaving. your feedback will also be regarded as biased (you are leaving, right?). the best time to provide feedback is while you still have the job. when you see something that does not work speak up. when the time to go comes, nothing you say should surprise anyone therefore no need for the exit interview and everyone having a bad time in this emotionally charged moments.
- JakeStone 7y ago
  Exit interviews can lead to you being marked as "Do not rehire" depending on the degree of your candor. It's obviously your call, but for the most part, I've just been as vanilla as possible when leaving, maybe remarking about the lack of compensation increase while working for a state budget determined salary position. That one, everyone groks and I didn't have it bite me in the butt when I came back to work for the local university a year later.
- balls187 7y ago
  Exit interviews are mainly used for one purpose--documenting any issues that might be used against the company if you choose to sue them. HR is not your friend.
johnward 7y ago
I recently had an exit interview at IBM and my manager basically told me not to say anything. There is no point or benefit.
- mirceal 7y ago
  sounds like your boss got at least one thing right :)
hef19898 7y ago
At least in the German system, where you get an kind of official certificate from your former employer that also serves as letter of recommendation, I would never do an exit interview without having that document agreed upon and signed in hand. These things are slow to change, but are still being fought over in courts.
ryanmarsh 7y ago
Exit interviews seem like they would be cathartic, and they might be but I can’t see any upside. If, as happened to me, you find out you were let go in a similar manner as others who were high performers but coming up for a bonus you might say things in the exit that might hurt your chances in recovering said bonuses when a colleague (who was owed a $1mm bonus and summarily fired for “performance”) decides to sue.
jnwatson 7y ago
If you're leaving for simply a better opportunity, there's nothing wrong with an exit interview. During my last exit interview, I recommended my relatively new manager for a promotion and I later heard he actually got it. I guess they took my advice. Some organizations actually want genuine feedback, and exit interviews are one of those opportunities.
wishinghand 7y ago
Never had one, but I've also given no thoughts to them. What's the reason to decline?
- joncrane 7y ago
  Reason #1: Burning bridges. Reason #2: You are helping a company for free, essentially after they have stopped paying you. A company with whom you no longer want a relationship.