Our Fridays from the Frontline this week comes from an MBA student at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business who has spent the summer interning at Amazon’s Seattle offices. A New York Times article last summer described the Amazon workplace in harsh terms, a “bruising” place where one employee reported seeing nearly every person he worked with cry at their desks. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is known for his allegiance to data-driven management and regular culling of staff that aren’t delivering results. But what’s it really like to work at Amazon?
Darden first-year Linden Schult set off to find out, packing her bags for an 11-week stint that would let her experience Amazon first hand. Read on to find what her experience has been like and why she thinks some of the lore about what it’s like to work at Amazon misses the mark.
The following post has been republished in its entirety from its original source, “Discover Darden,” the Darden MBA Admissions blog.
Summer Stories from the Tech Club: Linden Schult ’17, Amazon, Seattle
What a whirlwind! I can’t believe I’m starting my fourth week as an RLD Intern at Amazon. In some ways, everything you have heard about Amazon is true—there’s only a day and a half of orientation, and then you dive right into your project. There’s a steep learning curve, it’s up to you to drive your project and they expect results. However, the infamous New York Times article missed why Amazon is such an amazing place to work.
There’s a steep learning curve—it’s almost hard to comprehend how much I’ve learned in three weeks. Amazon is a tech company first and foremost. It’s incredible to learn about neat initiatives the company is working on and the ways in which employees drive innovation.
It’s up to YOU to drive your project—you’re given your project topic and some key stakeholders, and it’s up to you to figure it out. You set up meetings, you dig into the data, you come with ideas. And it’s awesome. You get to structure your schedule and balance meetings and work in the way that is best for you. I’ve found that I enjoy getting to the office very early, working on my own for a few hours, getting lunch with friends and then having back-to-back afternoon meetings.
They expect results—my final deliverable will have real business implications for Amazon. The projects you are given are real business questions that people are asking. I get to work with people across different teams every day. On multiple occasions, I have scheduled a meeting with one person, who has then invited a few others who also want to talk about my project. I know the bar is high for my final deliverable, but I know that I’m working on something important and that Amazon values my recommendation.
My favorite part about working at Amazon? The people. I work on the Kitchen team, and it’s wonderful. Even though I’m an intern, I sit with the team and learn about the different roles, responsibilities and projects. Most importantly, everyone makes a point to stop by my desk, say hello and offer to sit down with me if I have any questions. There are no stupid questions. You’re encouraged to ask questions and dive into things, whether they are specifically related to your project or about working full time at Amazon. People are approachable, helpful and friendly.
I’ve enjoyed my first three weeks and I’m excited for the next eight!
