This has been my first professional job and I am nervous but very excited to see what life is like on the other side. To new and potential employees that may see this post, please remember that the stuff you see on this subreddit is not indicative of working at Amazon / AWS as a whole. Treat opinions like yelp reviews, those that hate it are going to take the time to complain / make posts here and those that are happy are just living their life / less likely to post here.

I have gotten the chance to experience tremendous growth, opportunities, and am leaving with a smile on my face. There are plenty of intelligent and great coworkers but in any large organization you’re going to of course have some dysfunctions, politics, and improvements that could be made.

My advice to anyone in this subreddit, either learn to take everything you see here with a grain of salt or just leave the subreddit as I don’t see much of anything worth the negative mental health impact it can have on people.

Good luck and I genuinely hope others able to have the same positive experience that I’ve been lucky to have during my time here.

This is a throwaway for obvious reasons. So, I joined just before the 5 days RTO came into being. To say I was disappointed is an understatement, having to juggle family responsibilities and my kids, and the commute (75 mins each way), has been genuinely draining me.

Initially, I had some informal chats with my supervisor about flexibility and wfh. A lot of words and time just to say no. It was getting to the point where it was becoming impossible to keep working this way, getting home exhausted and not being able to spend proper time with my family, just wasn’t it.

It wasn’t even reasoned well, I only ever communicate with my team digitally, we’re scattered around.

I started to look into alternatives, mainly roles in other companies that were either fully or mostly remote working. Not much success there either…

I was browsing advice forums and watching too much content on hybrid/remote working and how to achieve it. And well, I did find something pretty good, it’s for UK employees only though (sorry burgerlanders).

So how it works is that employees have a right to request flexible working arrangements, and the Company HAS to review it discuss it and make a decision, if they want to deny it it has to be for one of eight reasons, and they have to evidence it.

I emailed HR with a formal request, and I received a response three weeks later, they responded to me, setting up a meeting (more of an interview, asking about my reasoning, etc). About 4 weeks after the meeting they got back to me.

THEY APPROVED MY REQUEST.

They allowed me to move to 2 days in office with the minimum of four hours each day on site.

I’m honestly surprised they accepted it, I don’t know if it was because of my team or if those heartless bastards actually had a fleeting flash of emotion. But I’m beyond happy it did.

If you have any kind of circumstances that would benefit from this, I would urge you to try at least.

Anyone here effected? Is it through PIP?

Has anyone received some odd notifications about Hurricane Andrew? it says sure leader ensure each … is no longer assigned

Wonder if this has any cryptic meaning? (ie layoffs ,PIPs) or what is this about

I recently interviewed for an Amazon SDE I position and was allocated to the Cambridge team. I went through four interviews and, although I ultimately got rejected, I genuinely loved the whole experience.

I spent about a month grinding DSA and preparing my Leadership Principle stories. Looking back, at least based on my experience, the LP preparation was probably the most important part.

I have around a year of experience as a developer, so I had plenty of real stories to use. I prepared them with ChatGPT and Cursor and made sure I knew everything behind them: numbers, percentages, what I personally did, why I did it and what measurable impact it had.

Every LP I focused on preparing came up during the loop, and they definitely dig into your answers.

Interview 1 – LPs + coding/design

The technical part was a fixed-capacity logging system with Debug, Info and Error messages and different severity levels. There were specific rules around how messages should be handled based on their severity when the system reached capacity.

The question was a little poorly explained initially, but after clarifying the requirements I got the idea, worked through the solution and explained my approach. Overall, really good conversation.

Interview 2 – LPs + checkout system

Probably one of my strongest rounds.

I had to build a checkout system with different products, categories, discounts, promotions and tax rules. There was quite a lot to implement, so I coded as much as I could and then explained exactly how I would complete the rest.

The interviewer basically said, “Yeah, perfect, that makes sense to me.”

Again, not really a typical LeetCode question. It felt much more like solving an actual development problem.

Interview 3 – LPs / behavioural

This was basically an LP deep dive and honestly an amazing chat.

I had strong stories for everything they asked and they went quite deep into the decisions I’d made, the numbers and the actual impact of my work.

There was also a very experienced interviewer shadowing the session and the conversation with both of them was genuinely one of my favourite parts of the process.

It completely destroyed this image I’d built in my head of Amazon engineers being these terrifying, unattainable people. Everyone was incredibly normal, friendly and genuinely interested in having a good conversation.

Interview 4 – Hiring Manager

LPs again followed by another technical problem.

I worked through it, found the correct algorithm and explained my reasoning. The interviewer checked it and literally said:

“Congrats, that’s the algorithm.”

I started coding it but didn’t manage to finish the entire implementation before we ran out of time. I explained exactly how I would complete the remaining part and he made it clear that the solution made sense, so I left feeling like it was a time crunch rather than me not knowing how to solve it.

Then I waited.

Seven business days later, I got the rejection.

Obviously, I don’t know what happened internally because I didn’t receive feedback. My personal feeling is that I probably remained under consideration and it ultimately came down to comparing candidates, but that’s purely speculation.

Regardless, I’m genuinely proud of how I performed.

The biggest thing I would tell anyone preparing for SDE I based on my experience is: don’t let LeetCode consume your entire preparation.

Do your DSA, obviously. I’m glad I spent that month grinding it.

But none of my technical rounds involved some insane LeetCode trick. They seemed much more interested in whether I could understand a problem, structure a solution, communicate what I was doing and explain my decisions.

I also know someone interviewing for the same level this year who got something around Number of Islands difficulty.

Meanwhile, LPs mattered A LOT.

Don’t just memorise STAR stories. Know your stories inside out. Know your numbers. Know exactly what YOU did. Know why you did it. Know the measurable result.

If you say you improved something, know by how much.

I prepared mine heavily using ChatGPT and Claude 🫪, but everything came from real situations I’d experienced at work. Having concrete numbers and strong examples made answering the follow-up questions so much easier.

And honestly, the whole experience was a massive confidence boost.

The role was technically Cambridge while I live in London, and if I’d received the offer I would’ve pushed pretty hard for London anyway. I already have a great place here and live about 20 minutes from an Amazon office, so moving to Cambridge wasn’t particularly appealing 😂

But regardless of the rejection, I genuinely loved the experience.

I know I performed well, I’m proud of how I handled the interviews and the whole process actually made Amazon feel more attainable, not less.

So if you’re preparing:

Do your DSA.

But nail the f out of your LPs.

I’d absolutely interview with them again.

YouTube announced a partnership with Amazon Thursday that will allow creators to tag products in videos and livestreams which viewers can then purchase directly from Amazon.

The program, which comes as competitors like TikTok have beefed up e-commerce offerings, rolls out immediately to U.S. creators who are already part of both YouTube's Partner Program and Shopping Affiliate Program, as well as Amazon's Influencer Program or Associates Program.

YouTube says its auto-tagging function "may review [creators'] recent uploads to automatically identify and tag eligible Amazon products."

Hey everyone, throwaway account for obvious reasons. I'm a engineer at AWS in Europe, and I've been with my team for less than a year.

I’ve been grinding on a heavily ambiguous project, but the goalposts have been moved multiple times by L7s and leadership, either because they forgot what was agreed upon or because they kept pivoting to chase "early impact." Because of these constant shifts, I’ve made solid technical progress (including foundational infra work), but it hasn’t translated into the flashy, high-visibility business metrics leadership is looking for yet.

We just had our OLR (Operational Leadership Review / talent review), and I had my 1:1 with my manager right after. Here is where I’m confused:

 My manager told me I am meeting expectations.

 However, he said he is "yet to see the impact from me," and he is seemingly discounting the earlier infrastructure and foundational work I delivered.

 To make matters worse, a senior engineer has now been brought onto the project with me to "drive it faster and see impact quickly."

Naturally, my anxiety is through the roof. I know Amazon's performance management system has a "Focus" designation (the precursor to Pivot/dev plan), and I've heard that managers sometimes hide whether an employee is actually in Focus or not.

I have a few questions for those familiar with AWS culture:

1. Am I likely in Focus right now, or is this standard "raising the bar" manager-speak after an OLR?

2. Should I ask my manager directly in our next 1:1 if I am in Focus?

3. How do I salvage visibility on a project where leadership keeps changing the definition of success?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

I’ve had enough of this one manager who just treats me unfairly every time. And other people in the warehouse have seen it too. Whenever I work with her , she always put in a very hard sections while others get the easiest one ALL THE TIME. Last night when everyone finished theirs, my coworkers tried helping me and she literally told her to not help me at all while the others got help for theirs. No one likes this manager at all. I reported her to ethics, but would I get in trouble

Following is a short and concise (I know even this is long...) list of potential behavioural questions asked in Amazon Interviews based on Amazon's Leadership Principles (LPs). 90%+ questions recently are coming from this list only based on my own and my friends' experience. SDEs can avoid last 3 LPs.

Customer Obsession: Start with the customer and work backwards — leaders obsess over customers

• A time you used customer feedback to drive improvement
• Most difficult customer interaction
• A time where you had to balance the needs of the customer vs. the business

Insists on Highest Standards: Have relentlessly high standards and continuously raise the bar/drive others to do the same

• A time you were unsatisfied with the status quo. How would you change it?
• Describe the most significant improvement project you’ve lead
• How do you seek out feedback on performance?

Delivers Results: Focus on key inputs and deliver with high quality in a timely fashion

• A time you were driving toward a goal and realized more than half way in that it may not be the best goal
• A goal you set that took a long time to achieve/are still working towards
• A time you delivered a project under a tight deadline

Bias for Action: Speed is crucial at Amazon — value calculated risk taking

• A time where you’ve taken a calculated risk where speed was crucial
• A time you made an important decision without consulting your manager
• A time where you were able to remove serious roadblocks preventing progress

Invent and Simplify: Expect and require innovation from yourself and those around you — always find ways to simplify

• The most innovative thing you’ve done and why you think it’s innovative
• A time where you solved a complex problem with a simple solution
• A creative idea you had that ended up being difficult to implement

Ownership: Think long term and don’t sacrifice value for short-term results — there is no such thing as “not my job”

• A time you took on something significant outside your responsibility
• A time you made a decision to sacrifice short term gain for a longer term goal
• A time you saw a peer struggling and decided to step in and help

Dive Deep: Stay connected to details, audit frequently, and question when metrics differ

• A time you were trying to understand a problem on your team and had to go down several layers to figure it out
• A time you linked two or more problems together an identified an underlying issue
• A specific metric you have used to identify a need for a change in your department

Learn and be Curious: Always seeking improvement — curious about new possibilities

• A time you realized you needed to have a deeper level of subject matter expertise to do your job well and love to explore them
• A time you took on work outside of your comfort area and found it rewarding
• A time you didn’t know what to do next or how to solve a challenging problem

Disagree and Commit: Obligation to respectfully challenge decisions when you disagree, then fully committing

• A time you strongly disagreed with your manager
• A time you took an unpopular stance in a meeting with peers/leaders
• A time you decided to go along with the group decision even if you disagreed
• A time when you disagreed, spoke your thoughts, but then agreed to commit even if it wasn’t the way you wanted to go

Earn Trust: Listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully

• A time you significantly contributed to improving morale and productivity on your team
• 3 things you’re working on to improve overall effectiveness
• A time you received tough or critical feedback

Think Big: Thinking small is a self- fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold directions that inspires results

• A time of a radical approach you proposed to solve a big problem
• A time when you took a big risk and it failed

Hire & Develop The Best: Raise the performance bar with every hire & promotion. Recognize talent, and willingness to move them throughout the organization

• How you help your team members develop their careers
• A time when you provided feedback to develop & leverage the strengths of someone on your team.

Frugality: A time when you thought about saving a cost for your team

• A time when you implemented a mechanism that saved money for your business
• A time when you spotted something in the business was wasting money

Are Right A Lot: Strong judgment and good instincts

• A time you made a difficult decision and how you knew it was the right decision.
• A time you made a decision without data
• A time you made a bad decision and how you learned from it

Can anyone tell me if speaking about my Amazon termination on social media could affect my unemployment claim or an EEOC case?

I was recently terminated from Amazon, and I’m trying to understand what I can and cannot say publicly while I pursue unemployment and potentially an EEOC claim.

I had workplace accommodations through the ADA. I repeatedly explained to management that I was experiencing pain and that certain work they were asking me to perform was outside of what I understood my accommodations to allow.

I tried to work as a team and did some of the work they were asking me to do, including pushing light inventory, but I continued telling management that I was in pain and that I could not continue doing work that was outside my accommodations. I told them this multiple times.

After management continued pushing the issue, I contacted the appropriate internal support channel and was told to respond to the email where my accommodations had been communicated to management. I also submitted a complaint and explained what was happening. HR responded to the email, but I never received a follow-up or resolution.

I was also previously approved for approximately six weeks of short-term disability, including payments. Then, shortly after returning/around this same period, I suddenly had approximately 40 negative UPT hours/points added to my account. I repeatedly contacted Amazon trying to understand why this happened, but I could not get a clear explanation.

I have screenshots and documentation of my emails, complaints, accommodation information, and attempts to get an explanation.

Then on Monday night, August 31, I noticed that my schedule had been completely wiped out, although I still had access to A to Z. On Tuesday, September 1, I received an email stating that my employment had been terminated.

The timing concerns me because I had been raising concerns about my accommodations and had made multiple complaints, and then I was terminated shortly afterward. I don't want to assume that this automatically means retaliation, but I feel like the circumstances deserve to be investigated.

I have already applied for unemployment, and I am considering filing with the EEOC.

My question is: Can speaking honestly about my experience on Reddit/TikTok/social media hurt my unemployment claim or an EEOC case? I would not post confidential information or make accusations that I can't prove. I would simply be talking about what happened to me and sharing my experience.

Has anyone been through something similar with Amazon, ADA accommodations, UPT/attendance issues, or an EEOC retaliation claim?

I would especially appreciate advice from people who have dealt with employment attorneys, the EEOC, or Texas unemployment.

First time poster here! I was recently hired to be a WHS specialist at a fulfillment center in FL. Long story short, I’ve grown my hair out for the past 5 years and have grown pretty attached to it.

Everyone is telling me to cut my hair for this job but I’m still pretty hesitant. I’m seeking advice from anyone who has been through this situation or similar to it.

I would love to grow and “move up” as I continue my career and have always wondered if having long hair would be a hinderance.

Amazon India

I got to know yesterday from my skip that I have been put on Focus in Mid year review. Goal setting from the beginning of the year was insane, and I brought it up multiple times in my 1:1. And I was assured it will not impact my performance and they will take externalities into account. We have an internal scorecard and obviously, I ranked pretty low in H1, which I am guessing led to the Focus. I had anyway being trying to apply for internal transfers, ( i had high bar ratings before this) and I have reason to believe my current manager got some idea.

I don’t feel very confident passing the focus. It is not put into the system formally yet, so does it help if I quit before formally being tagged ‘in focus’? Will it help my chances of being rehired in the future as compared to quitting after being marked ‘in focus’?

Hey, I have my bar raiser round scheduled for day after, needed some guidance, a helping hand for this poor will highly be appreciated!🥹

10+ yrs, program governance background. L6 IC role. 60 minutes, hiring manager plus one other interviewer, three deep-dive questions. First interview I'd done in about six years. (No TMAY, No Why amazon)

The first half was rough and it was mostly nerves.

The opening question was about a tool the team uses heavily. I've used it extensively, but I led my answer with the limits of my exposure instead of the volume I've actually run through it. Gave zero numbers. HM said "got it, thank you" and moved on.

Then on the first deep dive HM asked what mechanisms made my work survive without me, and I went blank for what felt like 20 seconds. HM filled the silence for me. I started drifting toward a different example and she stopped me and told me to answer the original question. I got there eventually, but only after being cornered. I had a brain freeze.

Second half was much better. Once I settled I gave a solid answer on stakeholder management and system improvements. Both said these were a good examples.

Ended with asking solid questions about the role and HM said these were really great questions.

So the shape is: weak start from freezing up, decent finish.

Question:

1. Is it a good idea to email the recruiter with the specifics I failed to give in the moment and ask them to pass it to the hiring manager?

   Anyone done this successfully, or seen it backfire?

2. Opinions about will I get to the loops?

cant accept vto, got here asap, refreshed and logged back in, vto is still up just doesnt let me take it.

My manager has scheduled a "stay" conversation call with me for next week. It's the first time I've heard of a stay conversation. What is it and what should I expect?

Hi, everyone I am working at Amazon (Vancouver) and I heard some employees cash out their benefits like massage and ECT( they don't use the service instead they take money from the shops) they have connections with shops. If you know someone please let me know.

I just finished the appointment today and the lifting test was super easy, so no need to worry! However, there was an issue with the manager/system today, so our whole group (about 8–12 people) was told to come back tomorrow at 10:00 AM for the contract signature and data check. My online portal already shows a fixed start date for September 14th. My question to the community: Does this mean everyone in our group basically has the job secured now? Is it guaranteed that we all get our contracts tomorrow since the practical test is already done? Thanks!

In germany:
Kurzes Update: Ich hatte heute den Termin und der Hebetest war super einfach, man muss sich keine Sorgen machen! Allerdings gab es heute ein Problem mit dem Manager/System, sodass unsere ganze Gruppe (ca. 8–12 Personen) morgen um 10:00 Uhr noch mal wiederkommen soll für die Vertragsunterschrift und den Datenabgleich. In meinem Portal steht schon der 14. September als Startdatum. Meine Frage an die Community: Bedeutet das, dass jetzt wirklich alle aus der Gruppe den Job sicher haben? Ist das quasi garantiert, dass wir morgen alle den Vertrag bekommen, da der praktische Test ja schon erledigt ist? Danke!

I recently went through the interview process for a Business Intelligence Engineer II position at Amazon. The entire process lasted from June 13 to August 31.
I cleared the SQL assessment and a 75-minute phone screen before completing a five-round interview loop. During the loop, I answered questions covering almost 13 Leadership Principles. I used different examples, although they were based on five main work experiences.
Unfortunately, I was rejected after the loop. When I followed up, the recruiter only said that the team was not inclined to move forward based on my interview performance.
I understand that rejection is part of interviewing, but after investing nearly three months in the process, it feels disappointing to receive no meaningful feedback. I followed up to ask whether I might be considered for a different role or level and whether there is a required cooling-off period before reapplying, but I have not received a response yet.
Has anyone had a similar experience with Amazon? How long is the typical cooling-off period after an unsuccessful loop, and is it possible to be considered for another level or team?

I have recently joined AWS and while I am getting onboarded, everyone keeps telling me to talk to people, reach out to people in my hierarchy, randomly walk up to them and talk, book their calendars and connect with them. I have been feeling awkward in just walking up to the people. What suggestions would you give me on this? How do I approach people? What do I talk to them about? How do I build work-relationships? How do I setup the base for my visibility?

I was put on focus. Do I apply for FMLA at the end of my focus? What is the process to apply for FMLA?

Hey folks,

I’m trying to understand how promotions work for Applied Scientists, specifically around L6.

Is there actually some kind of limit or target for how many L6 Applied Scientists can be in a single team?

There is already one L6 Applied Scientist on my team, and it looks like another person may be promoted to L6 soon. Does having multiple people at L6 create any kind of constraint on further L6 promotions within the same team?

For example, if there are already 2 L6 Applied Scientists in a team of 7 members, does that generally mean others at L5 have fewer chances of getting promoted to L6 in the near future? Or are promotions evaluated independently based on scope, impact, and performance?

Would appreciate insights from anyone familiar with how this works in practice.