Absolute lack of concern for workers and humans - Software Development Engineer Amazon Employee Review

1.0
Jul 30, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Your experience at Amazon is largely team-dependent. I've been on teams where I've had a great experience, with a project that had considerable buy-in. Other teams end up having many issues, with projects being abandoned or redundant. The people at Amazon are smart, and very hard working. The work culture I would say isn't as awful as you would have expected a few years ago, and there's been a lot of effort to improve that area. The people are not the problem, it's the corporate structure and the priorities higher-up.

Cons

Abysmal HR structure. I had to communicate some urgent matters a few months before my start-date, but it took several emails to multiple people. Turnover rate is also high-- in between my internship and my full time return offer, I had changed between five different recruiters. Disturbing lack of concern for ethics. AWS powers ICE technology. If you try to speak out, they will put you on a dev plan-- a polite way to threaten you into quiet. Rekognition is a facial recognition technology which they're trying to implement for the government, which could be used to police immigrants and citizens. Ring is a home-security technology that has been discovered to have partnered with 200 law enforcement agencies (with racial profiling issues). There have been "business dinners" between Amazon execs and government officials. There is no sense of accountability when developing technology used by the government, not even a basic standard of ethical guidelines. Employees that bring up these issues in various letters, protests, and articles have been met with complete silence. Their approach is simply to ignore. Manager-dependent career trajectory. There are some good managers, and some... not so great. Politics are huge, as in most large corporate tech companies. Stocks are on an awful vesting schedule, rewarding you for staying as long as possible instead of incentivizing you to stay of your own accord. People leave Amazon very quickly and within my team there's been at least three people who have left or switched teams within this year. Please avoid working for Amazon if possible. It will wear down your soul.

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5.0
Jan 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working as a Data Center Engineering Operations (DCEO) technician at AWS has been an incredibly fulfilling experience. Every day, I know that my work directly supports the infrastructure that powers services used by millions of customers worldwide—from Netflix streaming to NASA processing Mars rover images. What makes this role special is the sense of ownership and responsibility. DCEO technicians are truly the heartbeat of the data center, maintaining the critical power, cooling, and life safety systems that keep AWS running at 99.999% uptime. The mission is clear: be stealthy in action and swift in recovery, solving problems before they impact customers. The technical challenges keep the work engaging. Whether I'm monitoring building management systems, responding to alarms, managing preventative maintenance programs, or coordinating with vendors, there's always something new to learn. The role demands both hands-on technical skills and critical thinking, which makes every shift dynamic and rewarding. AWS invests heavily in training and development. The comprehensive onboarding process, detailed standard operating procedures, and access to subject matter experts across Field Engineering and other support teams ensure you're never alone in solving complex problems. The emphasis on safety is genuine—leadership truly prioritizes that everyone goes home in the same condition they arrived. Working alongside dedicated teams like DCO, Infrastructure Delivery, and Logistics creates a collaborative environment where everyone understands how their role contributes to the bigger picture. The 24/7 nature of the work means building strong relationships with your shift team, and there's real camaraderie in knowing you're all working toward the same critical mission. For anyone who enjoys hands-on technical work, values operational excellence, and wants to be part of maintaining world-class infrastructure at global scale, DCEO at AWS offers a challenging and meaningful career path.

Cons

Time constraints, and demands can be overwhelming.

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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