What I knew before visiting Amazon
Intro and Expectations
I was excited to visit Amazon for obvious reasons. Is there anything Amazon isn’t getting involved in? From drone delivery to fashion recognition via the Echo, Amazon is constantly at the forefront of simplifying the world through revolutionary technology. I was interested in hearing how Amazon is so quick in its Amazon Prime delivery and how they are able to juggle so many different fields at once with such precision. Additionally, I wanted to see if Amazon’s notorious workplace environment was as harsh as the media portrayed it to be.
Visit
One thing that stuck out to me as I entered the Amazon office floor was how similar it was to Facebook’s. Large, open areas with kitchens and marketplaces at the ready were sprawled all across the floor. No pictures were allowed inside, naturally, and we even walked up the exact same garden/staircase fusion that Facebook had in their office. It was fascinating to see how the world’s two most innovative companies had similar views on how to construct their workplace.
The class was led into a room where we heard from two presenters about the core of what Amazon is about. Led by the vision of Jeff Bezos, Amazon is all about providing for the customer. In order to get to these goals, Amazon follows the Amazon Leadership Principles, some of which stuck out to me. Some of which that stuck out to me were “customer obsession” and “dive deep”. Customer Obsession was pretty self-explanatory. Amazon wanted employees to think about the customer and work backwards; to try to earn their trust through vigorous action. Dive Deep involved staying connected to details and working tirelessly to figure out where metrics and stories may differ in a given product, this is great for the consumer. This is one of the main reasons why Amazon has been so successful in this technological era. They have used all available resources to make sure the customer is treated best. Heck, even Jeff Bezos has been known to work at the customer service desk to ensure a positive experience. The customer is ultimately the bottom line, so treating them right ought to be first and foremost, and as Amazon evolves into the future with drone delivery, I see them only increasing their market share and influence.
While the consumer may be lionized and vaunted in Amazon, I could not help but notice the strain on the faces of the panel members that came in to speak with us during our visit. While our two presenters seemed very enthused and excited about their jobs, I could not say the same for the panelists, who looked weary and spoke in monotones about their job. This was the closest representation of Amazon’s cutthroat culture that I had seen during the visit. Panelists mentioned how they had heard stories of grown men crying at their desks and did not outright deny it, it was quite jarring to see such an innovative company apply such a strict workplace culture. I know how I react to cultures such as these, and I do not think I would enjoy it at Amazon. I prefer an atmosphere much like Facebook's, where it is relaxed and team-based, not where I am under so much constant stress that I need to openly weep. However, given Amazon's influence, they will likely never stop gaining eager employees.
One of the more positive elements of the culture at Amazon was of course, the dogs. Employees were allowed to bring their dogs to work, which is something I strongly suggest the Business School do. Not only does this provide comfort and camaraderie to employees, but dogs tend to brighten the atmosphere, Amazon says, so why not let them in? The class got to visit the dog park on the 16th floor as well, and seeing the excitement on both the faces of the humans and the dogs was gratifying.
Post Visit Actions
Directly after the visit, many members of my class tried to get into the neighboring Amazon Go store, the famous store in which a member can enter, get something and leave without needing a cashier. However, it was a store only for employees so we were shut out. Nevertheless, it was wild to see people walk so freely in and out of the store. Since the visit, I have done some more research as to what Amazon is currently offering and how they plan to evolve in the future. Ongoing tests on drones are being done, as well as improvements in how quickly customers can get a package. That is how a company such as Amazon continues to see success over the years.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon may be the strongest and most influential company in the world.
- Currently working with everything from drones to planes to better the customer experience
- Started as an online book delivery company
- Known to have a particularly brutal and strict workplace culture
Intro and Expectations
I was excited to visit Amazon for obvious reasons. Is there anything Amazon isn’t getting involved in? From drone delivery to fashion recognition via the Echo, Amazon is constantly at the forefront of simplifying the world through revolutionary technology. I was interested in hearing how Amazon is so quick in its Amazon Prime delivery and how they are able to juggle so many different fields at once with such precision. Additionally, I wanted to see if Amazon’s notorious workplace environment was as harsh as the media portrayed it to be.
Visit
One thing that stuck out to me as I entered the Amazon office floor was how similar it was to Facebook’s. Large, open areas with kitchens and marketplaces at the ready were sprawled all across the floor. No pictures were allowed inside, naturally, and we even walked up the exact same garden/staircase fusion that Facebook had in their office. It was fascinating to see how the world’s two most innovative companies had similar views on how to construct their workplace.
The class was led into a room where we heard from two presenters about the core of what Amazon is about. Led by the vision of Jeff Bezos, Amazon is all about providing for the customer. In order to get to these goals, Amazon follows the Amazon Leadership Principles, some of which stuck out to me. Some of which that stuck out to me were “customer obsession” and “dive deep”. Customer Obsession was pretty self-explanatory. Amazon wanted employees to think about the customer and work backwards; to try to earn their trust through vigorous action. Dive Deep involved staying connected to details and working tirelessly to figure out where metrics and stories may differ in a given product, this is great for the consumer. This is one of the main reasons why Amazon has been so successful in this technological era. They have used all available resources to make sure the customer is treated best. Heck, even Jeff Bezos has been known to work at the customer service desk to ensure a positive experience. The customer is ultimately the bottom line, so treating them right ought to be first and foremost, and as Amazon evolves into the future with drone delivery, I see them only increasing their market share and influence.
While the consumer may be lionized and vaunted in Amazon, I could not help but notice the strain on the faces of the panel members that came in to speak with us during our visit. While our two presenters seemed very enthused and excited about their jobs, I could not say the same for the panelists, who looked weary and spoke in monotones about their job. This was the closest representation of Amazon’s cutthroat culture that I had seen during the visit. Panelists mentioned how they had heard stories of grown men crying at their desks and did not outright deny it, it was quite jarring to see such an innovative company apply such a strict workplace culture. I know how I react to cultures such as these, and I do not think I would enjoy it at Amazon. I prefer an atmosphere much like Facebook's, where it is relaxed and team-based, not where I am under so much constant stress that I need to openly weep. However, given Amazon's influence, they will likely never stop gaining eager employees.
One of the more positive elements of the culture at Amazon was of course, the dogs. Employees were allowed to bring their dogs to work, which is something I strongly suggest the Business School do. Not only does this provide comfort and camaraderie to employees, but dogs tend to brighten the atmosphere, Amazon says, so why not let them in? The class got to visit the dog park on the 16th floor as well, and seeing the excitement on both the faces of the humans and the dogs was gratifying.
Post Visit Actions
Directly after the visit, many members of my class tried to get into the neighboring Amazon Go store, the famous store in which a member can enter, get something and leave without needing a cashier. However, it was a store only for employees so we were shut out. Nevertheless, it was wild to see people walk so freely in and out of the store. Since the visit, I have done some more research as to what Amazon is currently offering and how they plan to evolve in the future. Ongoing tests on drones are being done, as well as improvements in how quickly customers can get a package. That is how a company such as Amazon continues to see success over the years.
Key Takeaways
- Give honest feedback
- The consumer comes first, always
- No matter how big you get, acting as a start-up can keep you focused