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Inside Amazon
Article

Inside Amazon

Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace

Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld
The New York Times, 2015
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Recommendation

In this in-depth exposé of Amazon, journalists Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld interview more than 100 current and former Amazon employees from all levels of the business, including some whom the company had banned from contributing. The result is a revealing insight into what it’s like to work in Amazon’s highly demanding corporate environment, where tough talk and long hours trump goodwill and work-life balance. getAbstract recommends the authors’ findings to anyone with an interest in management theory, organizational culture or workers’ rights.

Summary

Amazon is thriving. In July 2015, it beat Walmart as retail’s most profitable player in the US. It is currently constructing offices to house approximately 50,000 staff by 2018, more than triple the staff of 2013. The company runs on ideas such as “think big” and “dive deep,” terms that become part of an employee’s vocabulary from his or her first week on the job. Amazon encourages total commitment to the company and its customers. The opportunities and remuneration seduce many, who become hooked on Amazon’s all-or-nothing style, its creative vision, and the way it pushes them...

About the Authors

Jodi Kantor is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author who writes about gender, politics and other topics. David Streitfeld writes about technology for The New York Times.

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