Yup, this is true. At my workplace, during the hiring frenzy of 2020-22, we had an unwritten moratorium on Amazon. SDEs were interviewed only if we didn't have

Yup, this is true. At my workplace, during the hiring frenzy of 2020-22, we had an unwritten moratorium on Amazon. SDEs were interviewed only if we didn't have anyone left. SDMs, only if it was an internal referral that personally vouched for them.