Pros
- A few passionate, legacy employees still carry the original Zappos spirit - Flexible remote work options during the pandemic - Excellent health benefits (medical, dental, vision) and one of the best employee discounts I’ve ever seen — hard to replicate elsewhere - Occasional opportunities for cross-functional collaboration and unique projects
Cons
- Leadership instability: Three CEOs in a short span post-Tony Hsieh led to strategic whiplash and unclear direction - Amazon’s influence has grown significantly, eroding the unique, people-first culture Zappos was once known for - The core value “Do More with Less” now translates to: more work, fewer resources, no training, low compensation, and a high risk of being cut - “Reductions in force” often felt arbitrary and disproportionately impacted employees with ties to Zappos’ legacy culture - “Culture fit” became a vague, sometimes exclusionary standard for advancement and retention - Zappos ONE (employee engagement) and community programs lost steam even before the latest political leadership changes — community service has been deprioritized - New employees should expect the rigid structures and metrics Amazon is known for — the very rigidity that led many people to leave Amazon for Zappos — but without any of the Amazon-level perks (no stock options, less career mobility)