‘8 yrs, 15 hr days, no upside’: Laid off Amazon employee reveals reality behind ‘startup culture’
A former Amazon employee’s candid Reddit post has sparked debate online, offering a rare insider view into the company’s increasingly high-pressure culture amid ongoing layoffs. The ex-employee, who spent over eight years at the company, described being let go in the previous layoff cycle despite strong performance and deep commitment to the organisation.
The user said they joined Amazon in a stable role with steady growth, consistently earning top ratings and even supporting other teams and internal innovation projects. But things changed when they were offered what seemed like a breakthrough opportunity — leading a new, high-stakes internal business initiative backed by significant investment.
Accepting the challenge meant shifting from 8–10 hour workdays to 12–15 hour stretches, including weekends, in a bid to build what they called a “revolutionary product.” Despite early enthusiasm, the project struggled due to technical and strategic complexities. “Everyone at the ground level could see the ground shaking. Leadership didn’t,” the post noted.
After nearly three years of intense work, mounting pressure, and widening gaps in the product’s viability, layoffs hit — and the employee was terminated. The user suggested that while Amazon expects employees to operate with start-up level hustle, the company doesn’t offer start-up level upside in return.
“When things were going well, there was no upside. But when things failed, the downside was a layoff,” they wrote, adding that Amazon operates like a startup without sharing proportional reward. “If you want to take a start-up level risk, do it for your own startup — not Amazon,” they advised.
The story has resonated widely as tech workers globally grapple with job insecurity, rising expectations and shrinking rewards in a market reshaped by efficiency drives and AI-driven restructuring.
“Amazon’s comp model fits this description. When the stock price goes up it’s “sorry, previously awarded RSUs are now worth too much so you won’t be getting much of a top-up this year” and when it’s down it’s “hey, as an owner you need to ride the downs with the ups.” Heads you lose. Tails you lose,” a user wrote.
A second user said: “Take your job seriously and work hard, but don’t let it take over your life. A place like Amazon will work you to the bone nights and weekends and then not think twice about showing you the door. Lots of folks with 5+ and 10+ years of service that woke up to a break-up text message this morning and that was it. Badge deactivated, laptop shut off, done. Remember that the next time Amazon, or any other company, is asking you to take over your life to serve them.”
“The joke is on you if you thought anything else would have happened. Amazon has used and thrown out people like it was chips,” a third user commented.
A fourth user said: “Doesn’t sound like you learned a lesson. You probably also burnt out your team by not effectively managing expectations. Cause your afraid to say no or have a backbone. Learn the real lesson.”
