Both my husband and I have each worked for Amazon for over a decade (he 12.5 yrs, myself 15yrs). I worked at a startup before going to work at Amazon. I have seen the culture change as the company has grown but at its core it remains an organization focused on customer satisfaction. I started there when I was 37, old for working in a still start up mentality company. I have also had the opportunity to work in many of the different divisions of Amazon (outside of the warehouses). I think the NY Times article was intentionally inflammatory. Friends I know who were interviewed had either their comments edited significantly or were not included if there was more positive than negative. Amazon is like any other company, it has its share of flaws. I have witnessed them. Thankfully they were few. I don't work 100 hours per week. Sometimes I will work 60 when we have a big project going to be released. However, that is rare. The same is true for my husband. I have 10 year old twins and no nanny. There is no way I could work that many hours, nor would I want to. I am mature enough to insist on a work life balance that my managers have respected. I took ownership for that and no one has given me any grief. Could there be managers that are cold and heartless? Absolutely. However, when key long term employees leave your team, your management starts to wonder why. Keeping great employees happy so they remain on your team is a key requirement for managers to be successful. After 15 years, would I take a job any place else like Google, etc? Well, they have offered. And I always turn them down. My MBA isn't from an Ivy league school but that hasn't prevented me from being successful. Working effectively and efficiently, along with standing up for what is important to me at that point in my life has allowed me to be successful in my career.
