Amazon Software Development Engineer (SDE) 3 reviews

3.2

89% would recommend to a friend

(26 total reviews)
avatar

Andrew Jassy

27% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

Software Development Engineer (SDE) 3 employees have rated Amazon with 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 26 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Software Development Engineer (SDE) 3 professionals have a good working experience there. Amazon is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Software Development Engineer (SDE) 3 professionals compared to other employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

26 reviews
3.0
Jun 4, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good internal tooling, lot of resources freely available to use. Lot of different domains to work in

Cons

Top-down decision making on products. Highly distributed nature of work which may breed bureaucracy

4.0
May 7, 2025

Good

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

High Compensation: SDE 3 roles offer a competitive salary, stock options (RSUs), and bonuses. Strong Engineering Culture: Exposure to large-scale systems, cutting-edge tech, and high-impact projects. Ownership & Autonomy: SDE 3s are expected to lead design and implementation, offering more autonomy than junior roles.

Cons

High Pressure & Long Hours: Intense deadlines, on-call duties, and a culture of high expectations can lead to burnout. Process-Heavy: Amazon’s strict adherence to mechanisms (like PRFAQs, six-pagers, and weekly business reviews) may feel bureaucratic. Work-Life Balance: Frequently cited as a pain point depending on team and org. Promotion Criteria: Promotions to Principal (L7) and beyond can be opaque and political.

Viewing 10 - 12 of 26 Reviews

Glassdoor has 251,705 Amazon reviews submitted anonymously by Amazon employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Amazon is right for you.