Depends on the team - Software Engineer Amazon Employee Review

4.0
Jul 28, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

First if all, as with most big companies, your experience at Amazon will vary greatly with your business unit, and your team. Mine are great. I work in the Kindle org, and overall it's a great place to work. The work is definitely interesting, I've worked in backend systems where the challenge is reliability and dealing with big data. The work-life balance is great, and I almost never spend more than 9 hours at work. When I do it's almost always because I'm working on something that's really interesting to me and I just want to get more done that day. I really buy in to the whole customer centric thing. We really do make choices that we thing would be better for the user (than the alternatives) even though it may be more painful for us in the short run.

Cons

The requirements still change very often and you'll find your sprints often interrupted with something that just HAS to happen. The company of so huge that there is often overlap between what different teams are doing. It can help to just get things done quickly, but often it seems like a waste when one of the solutions is eventually discarded.

Explore other reviews about Amazon

5.0
Jun 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great benefits, great salary, great office

Cons

Long hours, stress and anxiety

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.

3159
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