Still some corporate red tape, but getting better quickly
Pros
I feel like I should write this review over things the company has been working on changing over the past year or so. Notable positives: - Removal of an "ask first" open-source/outisde-work policy, and replacing it with a "notify-after" policy. - Gradually moving to better technology (desktop/laptop) standards. - Emphasis on "Operational Excellence" to push for lower on-call burden. - Removing some red tape on internal activities, such as security certification. - Unification of the promotion process between some levels (SDEI -> SDEII) to make it more transparent. - More open debate about company culture on mailing lists.
Cons
The company can still be stupid (as a whole) with some business decisions. Some teams can still be terribly-managed, and if you're joining Amazon from the outside, it's hard to pick those out. In some areas, the company can still be really cheap. But, when you yell loud enough (and perhaps embarrass the right people) things *will* get done.
