Your mileage may vary - Software Development Engineer Amazon Employee Review

2.0
Jun 9, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Global company - Decent exposure to AWS - You will never be bored - Lots of clever people - Many projects “at scale” - Initial compensation is good - Free coffee

Cons

This is a frugal company, so don’t expect perks. In Dublin, we are limited to one fruit per person. No paid lunch. Facilities will always try to compress people before opening more buildings. The work is hard. Even a simple task may take days to complete, or multiple meetings and document reviews to be approved. I have meetings to discuss what will be discussed in the next meeting. Teammates vary a lot. Some are cool, but there are a lot egocentric engineers. Those will always find a way to bury your ideas. On a subtle way, Amazon is not inclusive. If you are a minority, you will work twice as hard to get visibility or a promotion. I see a lot of male white “first-world” seniors or promotions. There are exceptions, but they are not abundant. Finally, the manager owns you. That person can easily promote or fire you. A manager can give you good or bad projects. Your compensation, holidays, visibility, work-life balance... Everything depends on the manager. A good one can make your journey smooth. But a bad one will bring hell to your life. This is not a flat company, so there’s a lot of manager levels. Which means you are at the mercy of a lot of individuals.

Explore other reviews about Amazon

5.0
May 22, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent pay. Great Benefits, Room to promote

Cons

Long hours, day to day can be challenging

5.0
Jan 10, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really smart people, a lot of opportunity for growth, always encouraged to be innovative, think big, and create something new. Competitive salary and benefits with other major tech companies. 100% self motivating work environment. No dress code and 4 legged friends are welcome.

Cons

You have to be self motivated. NO ONE will hold your hand and tell you that you're doing a great job. If you need constant affirmations from management, this company isn't for you.

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