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No one should be surprised by this. I interviewed at AMZN and the online quiz was basically "Which delivery driver would you fire in this scenario" and the 1-on

No one should be surprised by this. I interviewed at AMZN and the online quiz was basically "Which delivery driver would you fire in this scenario" and the 1-on-1 interviews were with people who when I asked what you like about AMZN replied "the stock price". If you take a job at AMZN you are treated like a cog in the machine. And that is fine if that is what you want.

PartiallyTyped 4y ago
Not that I am surprised by this event, in fact I remember reading that the original RTO was about December. Regardless, I don't think that such generalizations are particularly useful. I have been given multiple different descriptions of what it's like to work there, wlb and so on, and it seems to depend entirely on the org.
- coliveira 4y ago
  Like any big corporation, your personal experience depends on your luck, because there are so many groups and things to do. However in general the experience is miserable.
chasd00 4y ago
Well to be fair, you’re never more than a cog in your employer’s machine. That’s the whole point in having employees.
- WaffleIronMaker 4y ago
  I think that's an overly cynical view. While employees exist ultimately to serve the company's goal, good companies will also work to support the employee's goals in return (e.g. time away from work, time to develop skills, general happiness, etc.).
- krapp 4y ago
  Yeah, but for some reason tech people seem to think they're the only cogs that matter. They really thought companies were going to move heaven and earth just to make their personal comfort and convenience a priority.
cainxinth 4y ago
I’ll never forget the article (WashPo, I think) about their corp culture from a few years back that said seeing someone crying at their desk was normal, expected, and unremarked upon.
- chasd00 4y ago
  At what level in the org chart? In consulting at the managing director level and up breakdowns are not unusual. People have their limits and respond differently. I’ve see my boss in tears and she’s as hard as a coffin nail. It’s like blowing a head gasket in a race car. You don’t want to but it does happen.
  - cainxinth 4y ago
    Found it, it was NYTimes: 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-... https://archive.is/aNhhC https://archive.is/aNhhC >"Bo Olson was one of them. He lasted less than two years in a book marketing role and said that his enduring image was watching people weep in the office, a sight other workers described as well. 'You walk out of a conference room and you’ll see a grown man covering his face,' he said. 'Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.'"
matwood 4y ago
Every person I've known who worked at AMZN is just counting days until RSUs vest so they can quit. I'm sure there are good teams there, I just don't know anyone who has been on one.

PartiallyTyped 4y ago

Not that I am surprised by this event, in fact I remember reading that the original RTO was about December. Regardless, I don't think that such generalizations are particularly useful. I have been given multiple different descriptions of what it's like to work there, wlb and so on, and it seems to depend entirely on the org.

coliveira 4y ago
Like any big corporation, your personal experience depends on your luck, because there are so many groups and things to do. However in general the experience is miserable.

chasd00 4y ago

Well to be fair, you’re never more than a cog in your employer’s machine. That’s the whole point in having employees.

WaffleIronMaker 4y ago
I think that's an overly cynical view. While employees exist ultimately to serve the company's goal, good companies will also work to support the employee's goals in return (e.g. time away from work, time to develop skills, general happiness, etc.).
krapp 4y ago
Yeah, but for some reason tech people seem to think they're the only cogs that matter. They really thought companies were going to move heaven and earth just to make their personal comfort and convenience a priority.

cainxinth 4y ago

I’ll never forget the article (WashPo, I think) about their corp culture from a few years back that said seeing someone crying at their desk was normal, expected, and unremarked upon.

chasd00 4y ago
At what level in the org chart? In consulting at the managing director level and up breakdowns are not unusual. People have their limits and respond differently. I’ve see my boss in tears and she’s as hard as a coffin nail. It’s like blowing a head gasket in a race car. You don’t want to but it does happen.
- cainxinth 4y ago
  Found it, it was NYTimes: 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-... https://archive.is/aNhhC https://archive.is/aNhhC >"Bo Olson was one of them. He lasted less than two years in a book marketing role and said that his enduring image was watching people weep in the office, a sight other workers described as well. 'You walk out of a conference room and you’ll see a grown man covering his face,' he said. 'Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.'"

matwood 4y ago

Every person I've known who worked at AMZN is just counting days until RSUs vest so they can quit. I'm sure there are good teams there, I just don't know anyone who has been on one.