Insidious PIPs

PIPs at Amazon are insidious. They are advertised as a way to get rid of bad apples or underperforming new hires that slipped past the bar raiser. 

In real practice, they are used by managers to further their own internal politics. They are a no-fuss way of removing existing employee that might make them look bad or be blocking the way of a friend they would like a promotion or to join their team. 

All a manager has to do is give someone a task with low visibility and then wait 6 months. Then they'll start calling the employee out as underperforming and *BAM*, you are on the way out with no way to defend your career. 

HR knows that most will just quit rather than put up with the bullsh*t or humiliation. So they back the managers every time.

I feel horrible for the less aware folks who don't see the truth of the process and instead take it personally as a genuine indication of their skills, talent, or worth.