Alleged Amazon Employee Warns Interns to ‘STAY THE F–K AWAY from Amazon’

July 8, 2015

If you are considering applying for a job at Amazon, specifically at their headquarters in Seattle, you may want to read one man’s controversial advice first.

A new post gaining steam on Reddit from “amzn_vet_throwaway,” who claims to be “an old man who has been at Amazon way too long,” has an important message for new interns: stay away!

The post starts out by praising new interns this year for being “smart as hell” and working themselves “to the bone” over summer for the chance to land a job at the e-commerce giant, but then his wisdom takes a turn when he warns Amazon hopefuls to stay away:

“You are smart, driven, and are no doubt going to be successful in whatever you do, which is why I want to urge you to STAY THE F*CK AWAY from Amazon when it comes time for you to leave school and jump into the workforce.”

The alleged Amazon veteran goes on to explain a few of the ways that Amazon takes advantage of new recruits, starting with the enticing stock options they famously offer.

“Now, the average employee stays at Amazon for LESS than two years, so when you do the math to compare offers from various companies go ahead and factor that in. The entire system is designed to bring you in, burn you out, and send you on your way with as little equity lost as possible.”

Another carrot that Amazon likes to dangle in front of new employees is the fat signing bonus which is, apparently, not exactly what it seems.

“That signing bonus they offer you to offset the fact that they give you jack shit for stock your first two years? If you leave before two years is up you actually end up OWING Amazon money. You have to pay it back on a pro-rated scale. It’s not a bonus, it’s more like a payday loan.”

The redditor goes on to talk about the awful work-life balance of working at Amazon, especially for fresh college grads who give off the impression of not having much of a life outside of work.

It’s not surprising to hear that Amazon is the type of gruelling, micro-managed corporation that might make you feel like you are living in the film “Office Space,” but there is still hope — the redditor assures new recruits that if they were impressive enough to get through Amazon’s notoriously brutal interview process, “then you’re smart enough to get through a Google/Facebook/Apple/etc.”

The author of the post ends with:

“You are smart, hard working, driven, and the type of employee Amazon loves to take advantage of. Don’t let them take advantage of you.”

Is the old man’s advice a shot in the dark? Or does he speak the truth?

h/t: Business Insider

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