Not a great place to work if you have a family - Senior Marketing Manager Amazon Employee Review

2.0
Sep 23, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazon's intensive interviewing loop means you get to work with incredibly smart people. It's relatively non-hierarchical in the levels below VP. They give you a decent amount of autonomy in making decisions. Compensation is excellent.

Cons

It will quickly become evident that Amazon's a great place to excel if you can literally devote all your time to it. So it's great if you are in your 20s and have not commitments, or if you have a stay-at-home partner holding down the fort. For pretty much everyone else, and that means for most women over 30, it's not a friendly place. But I would think everyone knows that by now. Another issue that I experienced during my time there (which was little over a year) is the company's incredibly messy and convoluted internal systems for conducting basic day-to-day business tasks like processing a PO or getting expenses paid or having a computer glitch sorted out. I've never seen anything like it at other companies -- the time wasted by senior-level employees dealing with the lowest order tasks out of sheer necessity because there are no assistants and troubleshooting anything takes so incredibly long. To say it's labyrinthine is an understatement. As a marketer, getting even the simplest marketing task accomplished involved dealing with a constant stream of blockers like endless calls with legal, dealing with an insanely slow system to get any outside vendors paid in time, and battling "computer says no" at every turn. It's a complete paradox as on the one hand the company is all about thinking big, but on a fundamental level they make it difficult for even very senior people to get out of the weeds of dealing with everyday minutiae. This is why you end up needing to work such long hours as well -- because you're expected to not only deliver on your goals at an executive level, you're also expected to be your own staff handling every little menial chore that someone many levels below you should really be doing. I can appreciate the ideal of such a non-hierarchical and self-sufficient vision but in actual practice it just doesn't work. Anybody with a better job offer will of course leave that kind of situation. It doesn't help anyone to be creative or feel they're using their time wisely.

Explore other reviews about Amazon

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.

3159
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All