Disposable workforce mindset

Like many of you out there, I took with a pinch of salt warnings of Amazon's reputation from the likes of Glassdoor and the NY Times article. I went head first anyway, naively thinking I would rise above it. I guess it's hard to really know just what you will be walking into without first-hand experience. I accepted the offer, unwittingly thinking a step back career-wise would lead to a giant leap forward. I could not have been more wrong.

This is a culture that is abusive, Machiavellian with a disposable workforce mindset. Go ahead and Google turnover rate for a fortune 500 company.

Like in any other pocket of their despotical business, the game at AWS is rigged. From a support engineer's perspective, the goal posts are forever shifting. In the end, it's not how many hoops you jump through but how evangelical you are around their cultish 'leadership principles'. That coupled with kissing the right derrieres, naturally. They will squeeze you hard, for as long and as little as they possibly can. This is not a company where talent or previous experience counts for anything. If you are a show pony, just maybe, you have a small chance of survival. If playing a good game of skewing metrics fits your agenda, please read no further, skip past go and sign that offer letter.

Amazon is the least data driven company I can say I have worked for. Nepotism is rife where your future hangs on the thread of hope that your manager might like you, and they stick around long enough (usually a couple of months).

The organization does not care about its staff, I cannot overemphasize this enough. Investment in HR is clumsy at best; indicative of the systemic problem - a disposable workforce M.O. Even those who were quick to rise in rank are treated with contempt. Performance based equity grants were revoked a few months after grant. I believe the reasons were due to a statement similar to 'person that granted the equity wasn't authorized to do so.'

I am a solid performer and always have been. If only Amazon shared an ounce of the obsession shown for its customers to its workforce. Treat your staff well and, in turn, they will be customer obsessed, engaged and might stick around longer than just shy of a year (current average tenure).

My whole experience at AWS has been miserable. I'm better than this place, so are you!

To Jeff Bezos, your recent tweets soliciting philanthropic ideas? Nobody buys it, just another knee jerk reaction to negative press. It just shows you for who you are: a frugal unimaginative individual on your best of days. Start focusing on your staff, there are enough of them to make a real difference.

I'll be moving to a company who is led by someone who cares about the world that he or she lives in.