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"it wasn't like this X years ago. It is a shame you joined at this time." Heard that multiple times during my short tenure. Always smelled like bs to me.

by lbrito 3y ago

fnordpiglet 3y ago
Well, another option is it’s true and it’s monotonically getting worse. From my time at aws, it appears to be that’s the case. It was better X years ago, and it will be worse at X+n years for all values of n and X.
- refulgentis 3y ago
  Same at Google - was there from 2016 to 2023. And i strongly believe everyone at BigCo underwent a step-change in 2023. I do give the VP in TFA some credit for trying to give shelter and time. Google went rancid, you'd go to work one morning, get an unannounced event on your calendar, and be informed as a group you were locked out of everything except the internal job posting site and had 8 weeks to find a job. Meanwhile everyone had negative headcount. I've heard at least two dozen stories like that personally. Another effect is best communicated by a quote: "there's a fuck you got mine attitude." The internal peer support group i was a location lead for was overwhelmed by people with just bonkers stories of aggression and antisocial behavior from middle management punching down. I heard so many stories that wouldn't have gone down at even the strangest and most inexperienced startups I worked at. (Hiring friends with 0 experience, outright lying, pushing out people) The bullwhip effect of management not really needing to learn to capital-M manage and now being asked to really exposed a lot of issues. Breaks my heart. (I left because of this)
  - LargeTomato 3y ago
    Many managers don't know how to handle firings/layoffs and there's little incentive to because you're gone after the event anyway.
- belter 3y ago
  "This year was worst than last year...But it will be better than next Year..."
mjr00 3y ago
Looking at the author's resume, they've only been at AWS since 2020. It's unlikely they have a very good understanding of how the culture has changed over time.
- JustinGarrison 3y ago
  It’s true, I’ve only been here since COVID and from what I understand 2020-2021 were exceptionally good years. Lots of growth, fully remote, and plenty of new people and ideas.
BeefDinnerPurge 3y ago
It is true. Amazon was always brutal, but two-pizza team six-pager culture was a great place to rule in hell as opposed to serving in Heaven as a generalist at Google. Two-pizza team six-pager culture died sometime during the last decade. At a guess, when they imported so many AI academics and they brought all the toxic worst practices of academia to bear on it. The Applied Scientist title at Amazon is the single worst thing they ever created: 15% higher comp and stock if any L10 or up decides you are one, a 100% political position that set everyone against each other just like separating the bonus for the success of Google+ from the rest of Google did in 2011 (was there for that idiocy myself).

"it wasn't like this X years ago. It is a shame you joined at this time." Heard that multiple times during my short tenure. Always smelled like bs to me.

by lbrito 3y ago

"it wasn't like this X years ago. It is a shame you joined at this time." Heard that multiple times during my short tenure. Always smelled like bs to me.

fnordpiglet 3y ago

Well, another option is it’s true and it’s monotonically getting worse. From my time at aws, it appears to be that’s the case. It was better X years ago, and it will be worse at X+n years for all values of n and X.

refulgentis 3y ago
Same at Google - was there from 2016 to 2023. And i strongly believe everyone at BigCo underwent a step-change in 2023. I do give the VP in TFA some credit for trying to give shelter and time. Google went rancid, you'd go to work one morning, get an unannounced event on your calendar, and be informed as a group you were locked out of everything except the internal job posting site and had 8 weeks to find a job. Meanwhile everyone had negative headcount. I've heard at least two dozen stories like that personally. Another effect is best communicated by a quote: "there's a fuck you got mine attitude." The internal peer support group i was a location lead for was overwhelmed by people with just bonkers stories of aggression and antisocial behavior from middle management punching down. I heard so many stories that wouldn't have gone down at even the strangest and most inexperienced startups I worked at. (Hiring friends with 0 experience, outright lying, pushing out people) The bullwhip effect of management not really needing to learn to capital-M manage and now being asked to really exposed a lot of issues. Breaks my heart. (I left because of this)
- LargeTomato 3y ago
  Many managers don't know how to handle firings/layoffs and there's little incentive to because you're gone after the event anyway.
belter 3y ago
"This year was worst than last year...But it will be better than next Year..."

mjr00 3y ago

Looking at the author's resume, they've only been at AWS since 2020. It's unlikely they have a very good understanding of how the culture has changed over time.

JustinGarrison 3y ago
It’s true, I’ve only been here since COVID and from what I understand 2020-2021 were exceptionally good years. Lots of growth, fully remote, and plenty of new people and ideas.

BeefDinnerPurge 3y ago

It is true. Amazon was always brutal, but two-pizza team six-pager culture was a great place to rule in hell as opposed to serving in Heaven as a generalist at Google. Two-pizza team six-pager culture died sometime during the last decade. At a guess, when they imported so many AI academics and they brought all the toxic worst practices of academia to bear on it. The Applied Scientist title at Amazon is the single worst thing they ever created: 15% higher comp and stock if any L10 or up decides you are one, a 100% political position that set everyone against each other just like separating the bonus for the success of Google+ from the rest of Google did in 2011 (was there for that idiocy myself).