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Amazon Web Services

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You're Just a Number & Only Nepotism Gets Ahead - Senior Inside Account Executive Amazon Web Services Employee Review

1.0
Aug 30, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Once you have AWS on your resume it will open some doors for you. -It is a very thorough onboarding process, but is also a bit like joining a cult with the emphasis placed on Jeff Besos being a genius and the "leadership principles" -You will meet some very smart people. The solutions engineers are great and want to help you succeed.

Cons

- You are treated as just a number and layoffs are frequent and rampant and they do not look at performance AT ALL. A team member was laid off for performance at 200+ % of goal while a team member at under 70% was kept. - This is a place where they ONLY way to get ahead is nepotism. Good work is not rewarded. You have to play the game with leadership and only get opportunities if you network internally - more than you do with your clients or partners. This may not sound that bad from the outside, but it's a toxic culture unlike any I've ever seen. - Their "customer first" leadership principle is a sham - it's ALWAYS AWS first. - The promotion process is absolutely awful, so you better negotiate well before getting in. You have to write a 9-page document tying back your accomplishments with data to a different leadership principle and have senior people at different levels write on your behalf (aka you write it for them like recommendation letters when applying to colleges). Then it goes before a committee and is reviewed by people who may very well not know you at all. And you will only get a promotion when you have proven that you have been performing the work at the level above you for over a year. It's just another way that AWS saves money by exploiting employees.

Explore other reviews about Amazon Web Services

5.0
Apr 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

good work life balance; many transfer opportunities

Cons

less base pay than industry average

3.0
Jun 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Good pay - Interesting work (team dependent)

Cons

- Politics often gets in the way of good work - Clueless, rudderless leadership just cause problems (can be org dependent) - People are encouraged to only do things that check arbitrary criteria for promotion, trying to do what's best or what's right is discouraged - Not many extra benefits compared to other big tech - Work/life balance can be rough (team dependent)

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