Tough place to work but a great place to learn - Senior Software Development Manager Amazon Employee Review

4.0
Jun 22, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I spent 10 years at Amazon starting from engineer to growing into senior manager. I did software development, program management, product management and even some online marketing. If you get opportunity to get into ground floor of a new initiative or business and are lucky enough that the initiative has executive attention and becomes a business and starts growing it will do wonders for you: 1/ You will learn first hand how businesses develop in online world 2/ You will learn how to operate efficiently (very limited resources - people and funding, and many idea - makes decision making and product pivoting crucial) 3/ Your career will grow fast within the company I have outlined idea scenario that does occur in parts of the company. Albeit to lesser and lesser degree as company has grown a lot and become somewhat of a different beast. So if you are looking at the company and are serious about your investment of years there - be very sensitive to group you go to. You can land at a group that is bigger and older but if so, perform as well as you can and then you must switch to smaller - new business starting group. Otherwise you will be one of many who often complain about the company: - Only ops, hardly get to write lot of code or ground breaking software, too much internal tribal knowledge - Burnout - big group - crazy boss driven beaurocracy Lastly, Amazon is place for those who persevere in times of troubles - keep that in mind!

Cons

- Work life balance was worst in my first 4-5 years, it got a lot better in last 2-3 - If you are in big group, you will find it hard to get much done - big systems with amazon scale of customers are slow sorry - thats life - If you are in group with systems not yet mature for the scale, you will end up with lot more operations (debugging, finding that bug involving hairy exception stacks, being smart about problem solving beyond just looking at code flow)

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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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