Strong culture for excellence in engineering and leadership
Pros
We are software company that happens to be really good at retail and cloud-hosting. That makes Amazon an exciting place for technologists. I very much enjoy the tangibility and impact my software has for customers. I can go home and tell my family "I own /that/. That part of Amazon that you use all the time; I did that." Amazon can be an intense workplace for people who want to be challenged. Ask anyone who works here, and you will find people who want to invest and tackle big problems.
Cons
Frupid. There aren't many cons to Amazon, but our principles for frugality over-extend for example to less-than state of the art development hardware. I agree we should not fly first class, and I think free food is over rated (I have a hard enough time staying healthy). Frugality however should not encroach on a core competency like engineers' development resources.
