81–90 of 128 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's reasonable to s/amazon/google in this post -- it's equally true there.
I never worked for google (interviewed but was rejected) but I have suspected this is true -- that there was a sweet spot where google was a magical place, but that time has long passed.
In response, Amazon appears to be increasingly turning to H-1B workers - especially from countries where the company’s reputation hasn't soured as much.
Example: https://h1bgrader.com/h1b-sponsors/amazon-dot-com-services-l...
While these engineers may be less experienced, they're often more willing to accept lower compensation, due in part to discrepancies in wage data reported by the Department of Labor. For example, the BLS wage data, which sets a $115k cap for certain wage codes, has led to a misalignment in what’s considered a "fair wage" enabling companies like Amazon to pay these workers below actual market rates.
This reliance on overseas talent seems to be more than just a cost-saving measure; it also reflects Amazon's ongoing struggle with high turnover among its U.S. engineering staff. The company’s well-documented high attrition rates, as highlighted in reports like this one from Forbes - https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2022/10/24/amazon-r... - shed light on the challenges Amazon faces in retaining domestic engineers.
The LinkedIn data also supports this trend.
Candidly, it seems that Amazon has burned too many bridges with U.S.-based engineers, forcing the company to increasingly rely on a less experienced labor pool from abroad in order to maintain its operations, despite being an American based, publicly traded company.
There's been a lot of debate around Amazon's hiring practices, particularly given the conflicting data and statements from the company. A core issue seems to be that Amazon has alienated a significant portion of its domestic engineering talent pool. Many experienced engineers have left, and others seem unwilling to return, even when offered higher-level roles. I personally was an L7 engineer and turned down a boomera…
This seems like more smoke and mirrors. I’ve heard some speculation that this is about cutting capex in salaries so they can afford a big purchase from Nvidia. I guess we’ll see in the coming months.
One of the worst lies since "AGI". Even most here on HN who are in the business of replacing humans with AI would agree that Amazon knows they are lying. Must be close to a rats den working at Amazon's offices with over 200K+ employees in corporate to then look at them and then lay them off and say it's for "culture". There's no reason for them to tell the truth, given its immensively profitable to keep lying with no…
Amazon spent a ton of money on AI.
It hasn't paid off, yet
And Amazon needs to stay profitable over some time-bound interval.
So, layoff expensive human resources ... continue investing in AI, fingers crossed that it pays off, and the market is happy.
Profit.
There's been a lot of debate around Amazon's hiring practices, particularly given the conflicting data and statements from the company. A core issue seems to be that Amazon has alienated a significant portion of its domestic engineering talent pool. Many experienced engineers have left, and others seem unwilling to return, even when offered higher-level roles. I personally was an L7 engineer and turned down a boomera…
what happens to that strategy now that h1bs are being targeted by the current administration?
There's been a lot of debate around Amazon's hiring practices, particularly given the conflicting data and statements from the company. A core issue seems to be that Amazon has alienated a significant portion of its domestic engineering talent pool. Many experienced engineers have left, and others seem unwilling to return, even when offered higher-level roles. I personally was an L7 engineer and turned down a boomera…
what happens to that strategy now that h1bs are being targeted by the current administration?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That comes with high profit margin and moat (for your specific labor, not just the business's moat). If you don't have leverage, you won't get those things regardless of enterprise or small business.
Sure but overtime in enterprise is paid. In a startup you might get some worthless equity. Also, in startups these things still happen more often, the culture normalizes unpaid overtime, unused PTO, etc. E.g.: > While overtime is a reality in both startups and large corporations, the difference lies in the motivation behind it. In startups, work goes beyond traditional hours, not out of obligation, but from a genuine…
Not in the US. Most enterprise software engineers are salaried and do not receive overtime pay.
There's been a lot of debate around Amazon's hiring practices, particularly given the conflicting data and statements from the company. A core issue seems to be that Amazon has alienated a significant portion of its domestic engineering talent pool. Many experienced engineers have left, and others seem unwilling to return, even when offered higher-level roles. I personally was an L7 engineer and turned down a boomera…
But I can tell you with fair certainty that Amazon's high turnover rate is NOT happening in their engineering departments, though. It's happening in their retail or business departments.
I'm kind of horrified by the rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric in engineering circles online and how normalized it's becoming. (Especially troubling how much Indians in particular are drawing ire). Is it really that much different if Amazon brings in a foreign worker to Seattle vs someone from Mississippi? Immigration restrictions are arbitrary and unfair, and in my mind any carveouts for them are a good thing.