I look at all of the big tech companies the same, so I'd imagine the overall work and culture at Amazon is very similar to what I experienced at Intel earlier i

I look at all of the big tech companies the same, so I'd imagine the overall work and culture at Amazon is very similar to what I experienced at Intel earlier in my career. It was absolutely miserable and I would never do it again. BUT... what I gained from that experience has been valuable in many different ways. Having a recognizable name on your resume is big advantage for one. You'll also get a taste of what a high-stress environment is like and how to avoid it later in your career. You'll start seeing red flags at other companies and anticipate critical problems before your other colleagues can. It was always amusing to see my colleagues label me as "paranoid" when I said "layoffs are coming"; I'd find another opportunity and these poor saps would get blind-sided by the eventual layoffs. You'll know what it's like to be virtually on-call 24/7/365 and the stupidities that come with that. The advice I would give others around this question is: If you're starting your career, I say go for it. If you're a senior engineer, I would say avoid at all costs.