Is Working at Amazon a Social Status?

Like a lot of things, it often looks better on the other side or the grass is greener on the other side. Another phrase that comes to mind is the honeymoon period. Backseat driving also comes to mind looking back; I was excited and proud. The extremely rigorous and time-consuming hiring process they apply to most professional-level jobs makes you feel that you accomplished something just to get hired. However, from the first hour of the first day, I could see signs about what was to come. Many people see Amazon as a powerful force or a powerful position, similar to a cult. Some drink the coolaid (subscribe to the company’s beliefs), while others reach their limits and leave the cult mindset behind. In reality, it’s a lot like many other companies.

Initial Expectations vs. Reality

Entering a place with such high expectations, you want it to be important and larger than life. You believe that some of the myths surrounding Amazon are true. In the end, it’s all about people and culture. How leadership behaves greatly impacts the quality of life while you’re there. Many individuals within the divisions I worked with left within three years, and HR was always in a defensive panic mode. Leaders were often dumbfounded when they started surveying employees and found that almost everyone had resumes out, seeking a better job. People were generally unhappy, and many leaders looked for scapegoats.

The Corporate Landscape

The greatest surprise for a tech company was the disorganization and lack of automation. There were few established procedures on how to get things done, as they were always in a state of change for no real reason other than to constantly report upward that they were changing things. Bezos's saying, “every day is day one,” meant that many things were run as if it was a company’s first day in business. Much of the work didn’t work, leading to constant chaos. In this environment, 'useful idiots' can rise up into power, and bullies can thrive. The disconnect between the top leadership and the day-to-day reality of workers explains why Bezos is so confident about the company’s success, even when things aren’t.

The Reality for Employees

For the majority of its employees, working at Amazon is a short-lived 2-3 year gig, where manypole, doesn’t stay very long. The work is very hard on laborers and often physically damaging, especially in certain areas. Yet, they work endlessly trying to make it a safer place to work. There is a clear goal to constantly eliminate people through technology, yet they still need tens of thousands of people to get the machine running.

Perception and Social Status

For those outside, Amazon can look great to well-paid publicists and managed media. But the reality is very different, leading to a short-term employment experience. There is no clear social status; it’s more about the reality and the conditions under which you work. The perception of Amazon as a social status is more a reflection of the company's brand image than the true experience of its employees.

It is important to consider the overall experience and the conditions under which you work rather than merely the outward appearance or the perception of the company. The true value of working at Amazon lies in the hands of the individual and the connection they have with the company culture, not just the social status it might confer.