A senior engineer who was recently laid off from Amazon has sparked a discussion on Blind after detailing his struggles navigating what he called a “brutal” job market for experienced tech workers.
In a post titled “Brutal Market for senior engineers”, the user wrote that despite having more than 10 years of industry experience, the response from companies has been bleak. “How are the affected people who have 10+ years of experience finding the market. My personal experience has not been very good so far after the impact in Amazon layoffs,” he wrote.
The techie added that most companies are either not responding at all or are overwhelmed with applications for the same role. Caught off guard by the layoffs, he said he had not been prepared for the level of competitive coding rounds now expected. “TBH (to be honest) I was not prepared/practised in exceptional leetcode skills recently so an uphill battle but the dry spell is way worse,” he added.
Social media reactions
The post quickly drew strong reactions, many of them sharply critical of Amazon’s workplace culture. One user claimed companies may be hesitant to hire Amazon alumni. “Maybe because of Amazon on your resume. Most companies are trying to avoid Amazon because of their culture,” the comment read.
{{/usCountry}}The post quickly drew strong reactions, many of them sharply critical of Amazon’s workplace culture. One user claimed companies may be hesitant to hire Amazon alumni. “Maybe because of Amazon on your resume. Most companies are trying to avoid Amazon because of their culture,” the comment read.
{{/usCountry}}Another user echoed the sentiment, saying they had removed Amazon from their resume entirely. “Ex Amazon are abandoned by everyone across the world these days. I removed it getting all kinds of company interviews suddenly,” the user wrote.
“I’m recruiting but I don’t want ex-Amazons. They are fired for a reason,” wrote one user.
I like to avoid hiring people from Amazon they’re too toxic,” said another.
(Also Read: Amazon employee broke down crying after being laid off, says company did a ‘poor job’ communicating benefits)
Amazon layoffs
Notably, Amazon recently laid off 14,000 jobs as part of a larger restructuring effort. According to a report by Reuters, the tech giant also aims to lay off up to 30,000 corporate employees this year.
At the time, Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, emphasised in her statement that the layoffs were “difficult but necessary,” and that they were the result of a careful analysis of Amazon's priorities, organisational structure, and areas of future concentration. The email further said, "Unfortunately, your role is being eliminated, and your employment will end after a non-working period”.