Get worked to death, get paid well, and fight incompetence every day - Software Development Engineer I Amazon Employee Review

3.0
Sep 18, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Excellent pay and benefits - Very cool technology - Generally good managers (senior management is another story though) - Flexible hours on some/most teams - Most coworkers are friendly and helpful, with very few exceptions

Cons

- Incompetence on some teams (forgotten deadlines, lack of ownership etc) - Teams are encouraged to release prototypes as production software - Testing is extremely rare/sparse - Unreasonably high expectations come from upper management - Teams are too small to effectively handle their workloads, resulting in high tension and stunted productivity - Weak development hardware - Terrible internal software development tools (fighting with them every day!)

Explore other reviews about Amazon

5.0
Jan 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work-life balance if you find the right executive to support. Lots of room for growth and exploring opportunities within the company

Cons

It's not really a con in my opinion, but it might be to you if you aren't up for it. You have to work hard and do a great job. Poor performers stick out like a sore thumb.

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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