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I think Amazon is on par with BigTech when it comes to software engineering, though the way they treat their workers in the warehouses has really hurt the overa

I think Amazon is on par with BigTech when it comes to software engineering, though the way they treat their workers in the warehouses has really hurt the overall reputation of the the company.

azemetre 4y ago
It’s not just warehouse workers, there was a pretty infamous article from the NYT about the office workers: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-... The money quote that I find telling: “Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.” - Person in books marketing. What kind of environment are you building if entire teams in BOOKS marketing are getting so stressed they’re crying publicly at their desk? Reading the stories is just unreal and that article was from 7 years ago. My public perception is that it has gotten worse. You can go on blind and read countless stories about people that were hired to fired, gaslighted into thinking they’re terrible workers, PIP galore. The only confounding thing to me is that Amazon doesn’t have the same reputation as Oracle in the tech scene.
hiyer 4y ago
I've interviewed a lot of Amazon folks at my current job for software engineering roles. The one question they've all asked about my current company is how is the work-life balance. I don't get that so much from candidates who are coming in from other firms.
ActorNightly 4y ago
This is why people should stop watching news, because its all pretty much agitprop these days. Amazon has no major issues with worker treatment. Sure, there are bad managers and shittier places to work, as with any big corp, but overall most people are content with work int the warehouses. How do I know this? Prior to COVID, unemployment in US was at a record low, down to the frictional levels. Warehouse positions are entry level jobs. If it was bad, people would just quit, and take another job somewhere else. But not only did people not quit, Amazon was able to hire enough to roll out Prime 2 day and 1 day. Turns out, people like the high starting wage and want to work at Amazon.
- turtledove 4y ago
  > Amazon has no major issues with worker treatment. Now I know you are astroturfing.

I think Amazon is on par with BigTech when it comes to software engineering, though the way they treat their workers in the warehouses has really hurt the overall reputation of the the company.

azemetre 4y ago

It’s not just warehouse workers, there was a pretty infamous article from the NYT about the office workers: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-... The money quote that I find telling: “Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.” - Person in books marketing. What kind of environment are you building if entire teams in BOOKS marketing are getting so stressed they’re crying publicly at their desk? Reading the stories is just unreal and that article was from 7 years ago. My public perception is that it has gotten worse. You can go on blind and read countless stories about people that were hired to fired, gaslighted into thinking they’re terrible workers, PIP galore. The only confounding thing to me is that Amazon doesn’t have the same reputation as Oracle in the tech scene.

hiyer 4y ago

I've interviewed a lot of Amazon folks at my current job for software engineering roles. The one question they've all asked about my current company is how is the work-life balance. I don't get that so much from candidates who are coming in from other firms.

ActorNightly 4y ago

This is why people should stop watching news, because its all pretty much agitprop these days. Amazon has no major issues with worker treatment. Sure, there are bad managers and shittier places to work, as with any big corp, but overall most people are content with work int the warehouses. How do I know this? Prior to COVID, unemployment in US was at a record low, down to the frictional levels. Warehouse positions are entry level jobs. If it was bad, people would just quit, and take another job somewhere else. But not only did people not quit, Amazon was able to hire enough to roll out Prime 2 day and 1 day. Turns out, people like the high starting wage and want to work at Amazon.

turtledove 4y ago
> Amazon has no major issues with worker treatment. Now I know you are astroturfing.