August 17, 2015 • Musings
I try not to post too much curated content here. Mostly I’m interested in sharing new content… Or at least new takes on content.
The story on Amazon’s workplace in the New York Times deserves some attention, but I’m not yet fully ready to process my take on it, particularly in light of the various responses, supporting accounts, and rebuttals.
I’ve never worked at Amazon. But I have worked in tough environments. In one such environment, billable hours easily exceeded 80 or 90 per week, a lack of balance was a badge of honor, and the community of like-minded workers started to feel “normal” even as outsiders found the environment toxic.
I don’t miss that environment. But I do recall how deep the sense of community felt, perhaps because of the exhausting hours, perhaps because of the stress, perhaps because deep down we all secretly thought we were smarter/better/more productive/more driven than our peers, and this environment — one in which our peers could never survive — affirmed that deep, secret feeling.
I’m sure I’ll have more to add… And I’m sure the chatter around this subject around the internet will continue. The bottom line? Environment matters. Character of those with whom we work matters. Community matters.
Read below for a few takes on the tale…
- “Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace” by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld (The New York Times, August 15, 2015)
- Jeff Bezos’s Full Response (Courtesy of GeekWire, August 16, 2015)
- “An Amazonian’s Response to ‘Inside Amazon‘” by Nick Ciubotariu (LinkedIn, August 16, 2015)
- “Jeff Bezos and Amazon Employees Join Debate Over Its Culture” by David Stretfeld and Jodi Kantor (The New York Times, August 17, 2015)
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