This is the ultimate humble brag. To work at the leading cloud operation would be an honor.
Working at orgs like Amazon, FB, or Google, show poor character and/or low self-esteem.
Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
111–120 of 365 posts
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#112Working for amazon is like joining a fascist cult - you made the right decision. Source - worked for a startup that was acquired by Amazon. My team was slowly managed out of the company and replaced by teams in Seattle. Most of my team was let go by PIP, essentially claiming we weren't "performing at a high enough standard" since they weren't willing to reprehend my boss for being incompetent. However, I'm proud of t…
exit interview advice (applies everywhere): politely decline the exit interview. there is zero upside to doing an exit interview
Exit interviews seem like they would be cathartic, and they might be but I can’t see any upside. If, as happened to me, you find out you were let go in a similar manner as others who were high performers but coming up for a bonus you might say things in the exit that might hurt your chances in recovering said bonuses when a colleague (who was owed a $1mm bonus and summarily fired for “performance”) decides to sue.
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#113I've also turned down countless Amazon interview offers. In fact, I don't get how I'm still on their recruitment lists after asking several times to be removed. Amazon has arguably the worst culture out of any large tech company, and generally treats its workers like dirt. Given all my friends that worked for them, almost all have quit within 5 years. Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they ha…
Cue the “it depends which team you’re on!” brigade, as if that excuses anything. Not to mention many people don’t get to pick their team when they get in the door, or at least that is my understanding. Even if you did get to pick, who would pick an obviously bad one?
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#114I've also turned down countless Amazon interview offers. In fact, I don't get how I'm still on their recruitment lists after asking several times to be removed. Amazon has arguably the worst culture out of any large tech company, and generally treats its workers like dirt. Given all my friends that worked for them, almost all have quit within 5 years. Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they ha…
Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they have the second highest employee turnover out of all Fortune 500 companies[1]. Do you think any of the tech companies would treat their blue collar workers any better? It just so happens that all of the products produced by Google, Microsoft and Apple that need a lot of blue collar workers are done by contractors in a different country. I bet none of the…
Many of these workers are from the prison industrial complex. Pay is non-existent or abysmally low, AFAIK.
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#115I've been approached a few times by Amazon recruiters, I reply back with my salary and profit share demands and that usually shuts them up.
I guess that they must have some luck picking up junior developers from Europe, or maybe people who like the idea of living in the US or Canada for a few years so are willing to take the cut.
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they have the second highest employee turnover out of all Fortune 500 companies[1]. Do you think any of the tech companies would treat their blue collar workers any better? It just so happens that all of the products produced by Google, Microsoft and Apple that need a lot of blue collar workers are done by contractors in a different country. I bet none of the…
Many of these workers are from the prison industrial complex. Pay is non-existent or abysmally low, AFAIK.
Do you have any source for that? If anything, Amazon’s warehouse work is known for relatively high wages compared to other warehousing work.
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they have the second highest employee turnover out of all Fortune 500 companies[1]. Do you think any of the tech companies would treat their blue collar workers any better? It just so happens that all of the products produced by Google, Microsoft and Apple that need a lot of blue collar workers are done by contractors in a different country. I bet none of the…
> Do you think any of the tech companies would treat their blue collar workers any better? Okay, but we're talking about what Amazon is doing now , not how other hypothetical companies may or may not treat potential employees.
Those companies are not hypothetical at all though.
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#118I've also turned down countless Amazon interview offers. In fact, I don't get how I'm still on their recruitment lists after asking several times to be removed. Amazon has arguably the worst culture out of any large tech company, and generally treats its workers like dirt. Given all my friends that worked for them, almost all have quit within 5 years. Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they ha…
There is no such thing as a "recruitment list" to be removed from, unless you remove all traces of yourself from the internet. Sourcers don't work from a shared list. Also, you might be surprised to hear how often people will say "no" at one point, and later say "yes." Circumstances change. Asking again later works.
Yep it is simply a numbers game for recruiters. I've always wondered what their percentages are. They have to be extremely low.
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#119Amazon is not the only company to sue over this, Microsoft successfully sued as well[0]. In fact, several large companies have pushed to keep these non-competes in place in Washington State[1]. I don't think it's fair to focus only on Amazon. The reality is that in Washington State, this benefits many large corporations ( while being harmful to employees ) so it is the company's incentive to try and keep the non-comp…
In Washington state non-competes are ubiquitous, and hair-stylists and estheticians have been sued over them.
That person that waxes people's legs? Works 36 hours a week so the company doesn't have to call them "full-time" and signs a non-compete that says they can't leave and work for someone else for a year within a 10 mile radius of any location of the prior company, which usually means they can't work anywhere within 50 miles of where they live.
It's criminal how these things are used and they should be banned outright.
Re: Why I Turned Down an AWS Job Offer
#120I've also turned down countless Amazon interview offers. In fact, I don't get how I'm still on their recruitment lists after asking several times to be removed. Amazon has arguably the worst culture out of any large tech company, and generally treats its workers like dirt. Given all my friends that worked for them, almost all have quit within 5 years. Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they ha…
Given their abysmal warehouse management, it's no surprise they have the second highest employee turnover out of all Fortune 500 companies[1]. Do you think any of the tech companies would treat their blue collar workers any better? It just so happens that all of the products produced by Google, Microsoft and Apple that need a lot of blue collar workers are done by contractors in a different country. I bet none of the…
I interviewed at Amazon recently but didn't get an offer.
I'd say there is clear division between white and blue collar conditions and though I don't want in on the warehouse side their main offices would be a major career bump for me. I'd be one of those 3-5 year survival jobs where, like my other AMZN main office employee friends, a promotion means changing teams asap to capitalize on the good PR internally. Like, do my best working long hours on a project, succeed, take my congrats email to another team. As I learn that team's systems, I get time to recover from the last role. Rinse and repeat until I can apply outside for a long term sustainable role.
I'm not saying it's good, but it would be a a jump from my current role and provide a lot of crazy opportunity a smart 20 something could handle. Instead I found a career role with a local company and I'm excited. I wouldn't trade it for any number of AMZN interviews or offers due to the company culture, history, position in the industry, an the quality of the team.
But as a contractor needing a pay bump, AMZN looked great.