Warning to MBAs

5 Year Amazonian warns MBAs to stay away

If you're reading this, you're probably not interested in working at a fulfillment or call center. I joined Amazon as an MBA hire. I came from a top tier program and have seen my Amazon stock more than quintuple. This is the only reason I was able to last in this hellhole for as long as I have. (Somehow, I managed to get promoted as well, an entirely political exercise and the most difficult achievement I've ever had to pull off).

I've learnt 3 things about Amazon that I consider undeniable:

1) You have to be liked by the right people above you to succeed: Leadership principles are warped and used against even the best managers no matter how much their team delivers or respects their leadership.

2) almost 4 years later, The New York Times Article is still 100% accurate: Amazon's "Connections" program has zero impact on abusive hiring managers. FORTE has zero power to protect employees. At best, the program is a band-aid on a broken leg. Hiring managers with below average scores face zero negative consequences, leading to unchecked top down management abuse. This is detailed all over this forum and others.

3) Amazon's ambition is insatiable: And Amazonians are simply biofuel for the machine to burn. Amazon has zero hesitation when tossing out burnt out employees labelled as "bar lowering". There is zero interest in developing anyone at Amazon outside of the "clique". And if you're a decent human being, you really don't want to be part of that clique.

There are only 2 ways to get Amazon to change:

1) Continue the press onslaught on working conditions to outmaneuver Jay Carney. I was at Amazon when the NYT article came out. It made a massive difference in that it genuinely scared our senior management. For the first time, the supply of naive, fresh meat wasn't available to feed the company more souls. As a result, attrition slowed as employees had more bargaining power.

2) Cancel your Prime subscription: I have done this and love shopping local despite the lack of convenience. Prime subscriptions feed the beast. Cancellations weaken it.

To my fellow MBAs, the Amazon stock has run its course. Even if it doubles from here, however unlikely, you can do better with other corporations. No amount of promises or seduction from the recruiting effort is worth the career limiting experience you are guaranteed to have working here. Chose a competitor or better yet, join a startup. The risk is worth sparing yourself the question that we ask ourselves every day..."Why did I sign up for this abuse and why am I still here?"