Fast-paced, Customer-centric, but the workday never ends
Pros
Restricted Stock bonuses are very good (as long as the stock continues to appreciate.) Smart, highly motivated people -- similar to B-School. A wealth of opportunities.
Cons
The workday never ends - It was not uncommon to receive e-mails late into the night with requests to deliver something by the next morning. If it's a weekend, you're on vacation, maternity/paternity leave, Thanksgiving, etc. it doesn't matter. You're still expected to respond immediately. There is no respect for your personal life. The attitude is, 'why would our customers care about your personal life?' Inconsistent management - approx. half of the managers are very good; the other half were promoted too quickly and have no people management skills. Stifling micro-managers can deflate the morale of a group, but as long as they get results, they're viewed as a success. Unfortunately, this leads to high turnover rates and results in even worse work/life balance. I have an MBA from a top-5 school (as many of my co-workers did.) I would encourage MBAs to evaluate opportunities at Amazon vs. Consulting or Banking rather than corporate jobs because your tenure and work/life balance will be more comparable to the former rather than the latter.
