If the culture at Amazon (company) is so cut-throat, why do so many people still choose to work there?

Couple of reasons: * Some people want to learn, and to learn.. Amazon is among places to learn and grow.. a lot, yeah. * Geeky ones keep finding new and interesting stuff in here, as the culture is very dynamic and things change very fast. * Salary hikes are almost exponential. * Ownership: You own something at Amazon, and you get criticized as well rewarded for whatever you do. You matter. * You keep interacting with intelligent and smart people. * The Brand 'Amazon' which matters a lot in outer world, and most relatives of yours will know what does it mean (atleast if you are in India) ;) In short, if you want to learn and grow in a challenging environment, Amazon in your place. Those who want an easy 10-5 job, leaves almost in an year.

Work hard. Have Fun. Make History.....really sums it up. It's a company that keeps taking risks, starting new ventures, fast-paced and with the 2-pizza team model gives people ownership without the bureaucracy typical at large tech companies. For engineers, it's a great place to truly understand the impact of your working closely with business teams. Many teams at Amazon, don't have crazy work hours.

I stayed at Amazon a long time.  The pay is good in that you get stocks along with your base salary.  That's not something that is generally matched -- especially when you work at lower levels at Amazon -- other companies would not give you that much. The other reason I stayed is because there is a lot of diversity in what you do every day and a lot of options of where to go.  I learned a ton, had a lot of great experiences, got to do some traveling, and Amazon gave me a resume I could be proud of. Why I left?  After about 7 years it starts getting really hard to be able to stay, especially if you aren't in a place where you want to go back to school to catch up with the constantly rising requirements of your current level.  After 10 years, it becomes even harder.  Heaven help the person who makes it 15, because survival after that without adding to your growth on a personal level is near impossible.  I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, especially for people who are younger and find they have the time and resources for continuing education.  If you don't though, those last 5 years are going to take a lot out of you because you have to constantly prove you can keep up with everyone else, and you are being targeted all the time. I lost pay when I left, that's for sure, but having made it the full 15 I gained back in health enough to make it more than worth it.  My resume and the things I learned made it pretty easy to find another job where I could use my skills and find some happiness as I move forward. It's a challenge, and to say you survived, means you are extremely employable and that you have done well enough for yourself to have your savings started and well underway before moving on.  That's why people stay.

It's true that Amazon is good in that you own things and it is fast paced. But Lord, did I hate the other aspects of working there : constant stress, overwork, and never satisfied managers. Just a slave factory. I wonder if that place will keep being innovative if they don't start caring for their employees.

I was there for 5.5 years (at a subsidiary) and I didn't find the culture toxic but it does require a certain mindset - the one that Andrew cites in his answer. The need to own your work is very high - there's no passing the buck at Amazon and you're expected to meet your commitments on a regular basis. Amazon's hard work but the same could be said for any of the big guys - Apple, Facebook, Google etc.

This is a question we get asked a lot. And not just about Amazon. Many of us know people who work at companies we'd find it hard to imagine working at or for. So why do people do it? The answer (often) is simple: We all respond differently to different company cultures. In fact, most of our research indicates there is no such thing as a "bad" or "good" culture. Instead, there are good and bad culture "fits". In other words, you or I may not operate well within Amazon's culture, but that's not to say someone else might not actually thrive in it. It's about getting the employee-company fit right.This is an important distinction for many companies, and more importantly, for many employees. Amazon has experienced tremendous success staying true to itself. This tends to attract and retain employees who love it there (they exist!), while driving away others. Authenticity is key to building a strong organizational culture. So regardless of how "good" or "bad" you or I may perceive Amazon's company culture to be, someone else likely perceives it the complete opposite, and seeks that out.We all have different motivational and values-based triggers, operate better or worse depending on the team or environment we find ourselves in. And that's perfectly normal. In fact, it's what drives many of us to keep searching for that right "fit". Because we know it's out there.

Worked at Amazon for 2 years and will move to another tech company. "Work hard. Have Fun. Make History" From my perspective, Amazon is a place that no one will tell you to stop. Everyone here is talented, young(mentally) and ambitious. Everyone is trying so hard to "run", get the work done ASAP, get the product online/release ASAP, and get feedbacks to start next iteration ASAP... So if you do not know how to say "no" and "run" with different people 7x24, I am sure you will burn out very soon. But on the other hand, it is a great experience to work with so many people like that. You will have many chances to work on different projects, learn different knowledge and tech skills, impact real world in your first few weeks at Amazon(push your code to prod). In my opinion, Amazon has so many strong and sharp characteristics, like Chinese stinky tofu :p. Some people love it, and some people hate it. It is totally up to you, but there are some people have different "taste" and enjoy working at Amazon.

I worked for Amazon in the very early insane high growth days(headcount grew 100X in 3 years).My previously very active social life completely ceased to exist, outside of hosting a weekly happy hour for my fast growing team.All I did was work and occasionally sleep, often sleeping at work and returning home to do a load of laundry. We interviewed, hired, and fired countless people. I only wish we could have spent more time with each person on hiring AND firing. It became quite "sausage factory"-ish. There just weren't enough hours in the day and it got cold and harsh.The original crew I worked with were resilient, highly capable, and durable. But hyper growth led to promotions, burnout, and pursuing other interests.Each hire was meant to raise the average, but hyper growth punched us in the mouth with demands to support order volume. 4 things did it for me: The incredible group of glorious amateurs I worked with scattered to the 4 winds I fell asleep in my Christmas dinner, literally. I was several hours late for dinner due to work and was so exhausted due to the month long Christmas order tsunami(all hands on deck.....even Jeff and his wife McKenzie would get hands on with shipping and wrapping) I fell asleep in my food while trying to talk to family who kindly sat down with me hours after they had already eaten. I crashed and totally destroyed a car due to falling asleep at the wheel coming home from work, sleep deprivation. I found the love of my life working for me at Amazon(she hated me at first, I was a hard taskmaster), I recused myself as her manager, and then decided to hang up my spurs, live life, and invite her to move around  the world with me. It was a hell of a ride, with some incredibly talented company. Lots of life lessons learned, most(but not all) of them good.I wish everyone who earns their spurs at Amazon the same crazy awesome experience I had, both good and weird. I was lucky to be at the right place and time (with the right people),in a part of business history.But I earned every cent exchanging a piece of my life 24/7 to it. The biggest lessons I learned were:Effective people skills and empathy are what makes the world go aroundLead from the front, by example

Two reasons.First, Amazon is a large, very diverse company where the actual culture varies a lot between organizations, and many people have experiences that run counter to the horror stories. In eight years of employment, I never suffered anything remotely approaching the abuse described in the worst stories I’ve heard. It’s also the case that different kinds of employees receive very different treatment, so that life in the software world is totally different from life in the retail world. Talented engineers at Amazon don’t have to put up with bad treatment — they have their pick of teams, or they can get an offer at another big company for at least as much money.Second, some people really thrive in Amazon’s workaholic environment, and that kind of person is purposefully selected for in interviews. Those who don’t like it tend to evaporate off pretty quickly, leaving behind those who are a good fit. These people feel an incredible sense of purpose and accomplishment from participating in Amazon’s very ambitious plans, and they’re happy to give the company 50+ hours a week.