Pros
I have never worked with so many smart, motivated, and talented people. I like to work, and at the Zon there is more work than one person can handle. The environment is a workaholic's dream-space made reality. When I joined the company wasn't all that big. Since then the growth has been phenomenal. The stock price has outperformed anyone's wildest imagination. That said, I was well compensated for the mental, physical and emotional trauma I endured. We were able to build a brand that people love and have become dependent on. I remember when the first trustworthiness per brand study came out from inter-brand and we beat out Johnson&Johnson for the tops spot. During the lion's share of my time inside, people were truly customer obsessed. We believed, with cult like devotion, that we were changing the world for the better by providing access to information, products, and entertainment without limit. I was stretched beyond my ability and grew in toughness and tenacity while at the same time empathizing with our users, packers, pickers, and boots on the ground magicians who make the shipping magic happen.
Cons
People are often treated as inanimate objects, simply a resource to be mined. Most candidates are aware of this when they start, but have rarely been dehumanized to the level that will inevitably come about when working inside. If you are awesome (which, if you get hired you are. Don't ever forget it!) your first review will be seller. You likely won't get any new stock though. Your raise will be 2-6 percent to your base even if you can walk on water. The next review will be punishing. No matter how well you perform there is a high probability your second review will be meh’. The third review is a toss up because you will likely be reporting to your 3rd or 4th manager by then. Often the third review is mostly negative in order to get you motivated to perform even more than you already are. As your stock vests you will be tempted to stay past your 4th year. In my view this is a mistake. Instead, have an exit plan in place by the 18th month and plan to move teams or leave Amazon on good trims. You can always boomerang back if you want to later if you leave with a positive review. There are few to zero perks outside a generous compensation plan. No freebies, no discounts, no startup mountain of free snacks and energy drinks. Parking is not adequately compensated, rents in the area are skyrocketing, and commute times have been getting longer by the quarter.
