Opportunities for growth can be largely determined by team situation/managers - Software Development Engineer I Amazon Employee Review

3.0
3 Aug 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The robustness and company culture/leadership principles. The high level of developer involvement in designing what to build. Large opportunities for relocation to a different US or international office once reaching level 5. Likely enriching learning of highly-scaled, full-stack systems, service-oriented architecture. Some well-developed systems/tools as part of the dev. environment.

Cons

Bureaucratic: sometimes a relatively straightforward change that needed to be made by a package owned by another team could take weeks to get into that team's agenda. Daily phone conferences were once required for my team to get a dependency implemented that lied in a distant service level. Unstable: While working on the Cloud Drive team, I had been around for its rapid growth to 100+ members, followed by a sudden rapid decline. That greater project was a mess. Managers/team situation: There is no "judicial system" as one of my old managers put it -- on my most recent team I had worked on a team comprised of Localization Project Managers, despite my role as a developer. My code reviews would have to go out to the development team, though I was not allowed to sit with them after several serious discussions with my manager on this. Depending on your proximity to your manager's manager, there may be nothing to do to prevent these sorts of scenarios, so be very careful when choosing a team when you are allowed to do so. My initial team consisted of 5 developers initially, going down to 2 after a split a few months later. The other developer and I received little interaction from our Software Development Manager who was often somewhere else trying to move up himself, and we worked primarily with some Technical Program Managers. The biggest issue in this situation was that the nature of our work was not the type of project needed to get promoted to SDE-II, though our half-of-the-time present manager would often persuade us in believing otherwise that this was not the case.

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5.0
23 Jan 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Working as a Data Center Engineering Operations (DCEO) technician at AWS has been an incredibly fulfilling experience. Every day, I know that my work directly supports the infrastructure that powers services used by millions of customers worldwide—from Netflix streaming to NASA processing Mars rover images. What makes this role special is the sense of ownership and responsibility. DCEO technicians are truly the heartbeat of the data center, maintaining the critical power, cooling, and life safety systems that keep AWS running at 99.999% uptime. The mission is clear: be stealthy in action and swift in recovery, solving problems before they impact customers. The technical challenges keep the work engaging. Whether I'm monitoring building management systems, responding to alarms, managing preventative maintenance programs, or coordinating with vendors, there's always something new to learn. The role demands both hands-on technical skills and critical thinking, which makes every shift dynamic and rewarding. AWS invests heavily in training and development. The comprehensive onboarding process, detailed standard operating procedures, and access to subject matter experts across Field Engineering and other support teams ensure you're never alone in solving complex problems. The emphasis on safety is genuine—leadership truly prioritizes that everyone goes home in the same condition they arrived. Working alongside dedicated teams like DCO, Infrastructure Delivery, and Logistics creates a collaborative environment where everyone understands how their role contributes to the bigger picture. The 24/7 nature of the work means building strong relationships with your shift team, and there's real camaraderie in knowing you're all working toward the same critical mission. For anyone who enjoys hands-on technical work, values operational excellence, and wants to be part of maintaining world-class infrastructure at global scale, DCEO at AWS offers a challenging and meaningful career path.

Cons

Time constraints, and demands can be overwhelming.

5.0
10 Jan 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really smart people, a lot of opportunity for growth, always encouraged to be innovative, think big, and create something new. Competitive salary and benefits with other major tech companies. 100% self motivating work environment. No dress code and 4 legged friends are welcome.

Cons

You have to be self motivated. NO ONE will hold your hand and tell you that you're doing a great job. If you need constant affirmations from management, this company isn't for you.

3159
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