So I recently received an offer to work at Amazon in Seattle. I've heard mixed reviews, mostly lots of hype from the interviewing team and a mixed bag on glassdoor. Glassdoor can easily be really bitter folks and/or Amazon flooding reviews to maintain a rating.

So I turn to TWW, the one source of truth.

We're also mixed about moving to Seattle, so any thoughts on that would be appreciated, too.

6/11/2018 9:44:16 AM

My brother and his wife moved to Seattle a year ago and want to leave. I’ve never been so I can’t back this opinion up.

6/11/2018 9:48:37 AM

Lots of people working/living there, so it must be doing something good. Like most review sites, usually disgruntled people would leave comments, so I usually don't trust it. Be prepared for the higher cost of living.

Bestus, g.

[Edited on June 11, 2018 at 9:54 AM. Reason : ]

6/11/2018 9:53:05 AM

Hope you like clouds

6/11/2018 10:15:39 AM

Seattle rules

that’s all I got

6/11/2018 10:19:09 AM

Our former Student Body President, Tony Caravano, works there and has done really well.

One of my fraternity brothers worked there for awhile and it didn't end so well. I haven't talked to him in great detail about it but it sounds like he basically got thrown into a position too early with little training because someone else left (Or something like that). Then they placed unreasonable expectations on him and he decided to leave instead of being set up to fail.

So there, good story and bad. Not sure if that helps

6/11/2018 10:35:35 AM

Tony is kind of an exception to the rule(s), so I don't know if he counts. (By that, I mean he pretty much does well wherever he is.)

6/11/2018 11:04:04 AM

^Very true, I almost went back and added that to my post but then it was too late.

6/11/2018 11:21:28 AM

Seattle is great. I've heard Amazon burns their employees out, but that's all hearsay.

6/11/2018 11:34:57 AM

^^

6/11/2018 11:56:18 AM

My brother works for Amazon and loves it. That said, he's out of San Fran, but does work long hours (50-60 hour weeks). That said, I think he makes good money, so it is a trade off for him.

6/11/2018 1:00:18 PM

guy that used to work for me took a product management position with AmazonFresh about a year ago and loves it - lives walkable to the office in Seattle and while he pays a lot he's just got him and the wife so it's worth it for them

6/11/2018 1:08:08 PM

retail or aws? they're completely different. in general seattle is awful, save summer time. having said all that, working at amazon in the hq is a good opportunity worth enduring that shit city for, almost no matter what

6/11/2018 9:37:59 PM

This would be a retail PM job, so not engineering, in case those experiences differ across the company.

Seems like some people here think Seattle is great and others think it's horrible. Would you mind sharing details either way?

I think the rain and the darkness we can manage, so that isn't my biggest concern. I am concerned that Seattle felt very generic, with no real distinct character. Most of the places downtown seemed like chains and the buildings were pretty generic or spec built apartments / condos. We went to some of the north and south neighborhoods and saw cute neighborhoods but it was hard to get a vibe for what we could really do there. That said, if I toured another city that isn't a major tourist one (say Raleigh Charlotte, as opposed to say Asheville or Wilmington) I'd probably have the same vibe from it, even though those cities can have a lot to offer.

Any specifics are great. We're so back and forth on this that we may just flip a coin and roll with it

6/12/2018 12:23:24 PM

6/12/2018 12:28:38 PM

Can't say I'd want to work for Amazon, but as far as Seattle goes, it has loads more character than Raleigh, Charlotte, or Wilmington.

6/12/2018 12:30:17 PM

I've worked in seattle at amazon for months at a time. You're right in your assessment of downtown seattle. There's no character at all. Capital hill, Queen Anne, and Ballard are about the only remnants of a culture other than amazon. Product manager at amazon is a tough job, but I'd definitely go for it, even if it's just to parlay to something else in a year.

6/12/2018 6:48:00 PM

I love Seattle, but it's basically a place that's filled with Bay Area people who got priced out, and they're eventually going to ruin Seattle too in terms of COL/traffic/housing/etc. Maybe it won't bother you, but it's an expensive place to live. In a weird way, it's very mellow and laid back, but it can also feel like everyone is obsessed with work, so my friends who've moved there say it can be a challenge to find friends if you're new to the area.

6/12/2018 8:41:40 PM