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I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

benadam.me

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Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#531

Post by frx »

tech_tuna wrote: post #382
CottonMcKnight wrote: post #77

I wouldn't wish the byzantine nightmare that is Cognito on my worst enemy.

Cognito is one of the worst. Try the CloudHSM sometime if you're not feeling suicidal. The whole Amplify/AppSync stack is another massive tire fire.

Do you have any recommendations for authentication services? I agree Cognito is not a good tool. However, it does integrate well with other AWS services (ex: Api gateway).

If there is a 3rd party service or tool that we can use instead of Cognito and if it also works well with other AWS services (Amplify, Api gateway) that would be awesome.

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#532

Post by bumby »

arvinsim wrote: post #524
bumby wrote: post #481

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve heard it described as: “You can work on interesting problems, have a great work-life balance, or get paid really well, but you can only select two.”

Maybe it's just me but finding a job that has great work-life balance and pays well is hard.

“Pays well” is probably relative. You can certainly find them in lower cost-of-living areas by the local standard but it’s pretty hard to find SV-type pay

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#533

Post by kmonsen »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #517
Dig1t wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just in general this is extremely rude to do as an interviewer. I remember interviewing at Google a few years ago and the interviewer laughed at me when I asked her if they used Kotlin in the mobile app that they were hiring for. Kotlin was pretty standard at the time in most 3rd party apps and nowadays Google never shuts up about it in their dev talks, but back then I guess it was so unlikely that Google itself woul…

There are several reasons that might be funny. Assuming that funny question = stupid question is going to result in you being offended quite frequently. It's google, the interviewer probably thought it was funny because what you just asked would be logical , but because of insert crazy bureaucratic reason here they can't. Most interviewers are nice people. Assuming good intent when they laugh is going to be the right…

Yeah, I worked at Android in google at that time and he probably thought “I wish we could use kotlin”. It was still pretty rude to laugh though, had to be aware many candidates would already be nervous and would find it offensive.

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#534

Post by willheis »

trts wrote: post #285

> In order to be efficient on a macro level, it requires being (very) inefficient at the micro level. This is put succinctly. Seeing Amazon from within was an absolute shock. It is hard to be hyperbolic about the company's technical achievements: Prime, AWS, 2-hour Delivery, Alexa, Prime Video, Amazon Go ... absolutely incredible, world-changing stuff. But the experience of working there felt like the place was on fi…

I'll accept the logistics management part of Prime and AWS as obviously major achievements, but Alexa, Prime Video and Go?

Alexa is a spy machine that makes already easy tasks marginally easier, and every so often tells a child exactly how to electrocute themselves.

Prime Video is a 2nd or even 3rd rate video service in my experience.

And having moved to Seattle recently, I tried out Amazon Go a couple times and it just sucks? The selection is super tiny and honestly, I just prefer a self checkout with tap payments. I found myself constantly worrying if their camera system would correctly ring me up.

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#535

Post by faangiq »

swyx wrote: post #165

this actually turned out a lot more evenhanded than i was expecting from the title. i took a job at AWS myself, and left after 8 months. partly it was pull factor to a more exciting offer, but i wont deny some push factors. Amazon hires generally very smart people, but the bureaucracy and legacy is just stifling for someone used to a faster pace in tech. After a while I identified the 4 things I felt that we had to s…

Lol. Current CEO and his predecessor were sales dudes. They don’t give a shit what code monkey peons think or do.

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#536

Post by faangiq »

monster_group wrote: post #53

FTA - "I was assigned to had an engineer who had never done web development (didn’t know HTTP, HTML, CSS or Javascript)" But hey, you bet he knows topological sort and dynamic programming.

And reporting to a management chain that doesn’t know any of it!

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#537

Post by willheis »

exolymph wrote: post #275
batmaniam wrote: post #96

The article mentions aggressive delivery dates, conflicting goals between different departments that get in the way of career progression, and massive amounts of stress as being 'normal' at Amazon. And we already know that Amazon exploits and over-exerts their employees in other divisions, like warehouse. At what point do we say enough is enough? Amazon warehouse employees are already pushing for better working condi…

> If nothing changes, your friends and colleagues (and your future children if they do engineering) will all still suffer at the hands of Amazon. ????? it's super possible to simply not work there

Tell that to Twitch and Ring employees. The consolidation of the tech industry is pretty apparent and I would put a lot of money on Amazon being one of the "final four" of the tech industry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitio...

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#538

Post by notreallyserio »

dymk wrote: post #73
dragonwriter wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a meaningful difference?

Sure, a single lump sum bonus might bump you in a higher tax bracket, whereas the bonus paid over 2 years may keep you in a lower bracket.

That's not really that big a deal. Sure, you might pay lower taxes if the bonus is split between two years, but the difference on tax would surely pale in comparison to typical gains in the stock market or other investment.

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#539

Post by danielmarkbruce »

kmonsen wrote: post #533
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #517

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are several reasons that might be funny. Assuming that funny question = stupid question is going to result in you being offended quite frequently. It's google, the interviewer probably thought it was funny because what you just asked would be logical , but because of insert crazy bureaucratic reason here they can't. Most interviewers are nice people. Assuming good intent when they laugh is going to be the right…

Yeah, I worked at Android in google at that time and he probably thought “I wish we could use kotlin”. It was still pretty rude to laugh though, had to be aware many candidates would already be nervous and would find it offensive.

I guess you are clearly correct that some will find it offensive... I think I'd be happy to laugh and offend said people as a mechanism to keep them away. It can be pretty toxic when people assume the worst of others (even if they are nervous)

Re: I took a job at Amazon, only to leave after 10 months

#540

Post by halpert »

sharkweek wrote: post #25

Hey congrats on making it 10 months! "Urgent to not block progress, but also ironic that they are asking a person who has no clue what they are doing to deliver critical work" Friend of mine started a role there (this was 4-5 years ago) and was fired (sorry... more or less asked to leave, being told he could keep his signing bonus if he just left) within about six weeks because he wasn't immediately delivering on som…

These are one-sided stories recounted by someone with an axe to grind...
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