Dear Mr. Bezos,
As a Millennial, I'm no stranger to the idea that professional success can come at a price. My peers and I have heard time and again that startup life is miserable, finance is an unrelenting grind, and tech is the place where fun goes to die. Heck, we even understand that some people take pride in their ability to neglect their personal life and health in order to work longer hours and do better (or at least more) work for their company.
So was I totally shocked when The New York Times reported that Amazon (which you run) can be an exceptionally grueling place to work? Not exactly.
To those of us who live in Silicon Valley – the ones who live and breathe a "work until your fingers bleed and then keep going" lifestyle – the revelation that Amazon is an intensely competitive place to work isn't news. The allegations that your company has neglected employees with life-threatening illnesses, though? They were astonishing (though they've yet to be fully confirmed).
Life-threatening illnesses aside, in your defense, you've been transparent about the hours you expect. In your letter to shareholders in 1997, you wrote,
"When I interview people I tell them, 'You can work long, hard, or smart, but at Amazon.com you can't choose two out of three."
And as you've said, your company culture is "friendly and intense, but if push comes to shove we'll settle for intense."
Many of us get it: If one person isn't willing to put in the time, someone else will. This prospect doesn't bother me. In fact, it inspires quite a few of my fellow millennials. I also want to work at a place with high standards.
And you aren't unique in setting the bar high for your workers. As Keith Rabois, the former executive from PayPal and Square, put it, "[To be successful], you must sacrifice many things, which isn't pleasant for most."
@rabois Myth that to be successful you need to be domineering is unsupported by data. At least that is what Tim Duncan and Buffett told me.
— Nathan Brixius (@natebrix) August 17, 2015
@natebrix I didn't say you need that. But you must sacrifice many things, which isn't pleasant for most.
— Keith Rabois (@rabois) August 17, 2015
I know this isn't just a tech problem. Nope – finance and other industries also come with the promise that employees will miss out on important events in life, be unable to maintain stable relationships, and have pretty much no kid want to be them when they grow up.
Working in finance at the EOM has to be what hell is like.
— Jenna Martis (@jennamartisxoxo) November 25, 2014
There is no investment banking in heaven. In hell, perhaps, it is all there is.
— Ben Silver ?? (@ThisIsBenSilver) December 16, 2014
This whole all-work-and-no-play problem isn't exactly new, either. I'm not saying you created it, Mr. Bezos. Way back in 1994, Jamie Zawinski, an engineer at Netscape (a computer services company and birthplace of one of the first Internet browsers), wrote:
"I'm so fucking burnt. Existence is suffering.
We're doomed.
I'd work on my resumé, but I don't even have anything new to put on it yet, because we haven't actually shipped anything.
I'm going to go home and cry myself to sleep now."
It's been over 20 years since then and startup life hasn't changed. It may have even gotten more demoralizing. Which leaves me with a question: Don't you think your employees (and those at other companies) could be more creative and work more effectively with a more nurturing work environment? Most aren't asking for ten-hour days. They just want some breathing room.
If you're thinking people can either deal with the work environment at Amazon or find new jobs, I can't say that's not your choice. It totally is. But right now, everyone's eyes are on you. In your quest to have Amazon become the go-to source for everyone to get everything, people feel pretty connected to your company. And people are reacting – big time – to The New York Times piece.
Some have expressed anger.
I really, really hate Amazon. http://t.co/2hCX3W25qb pic.twitter.com/4Zil8SIh0N
— Jonas Wisser (@jwisser) August 16, 2015
I'm never going to buy anything from Amazon, and neither should you, says @papertimelady http://t.co/mGXrVcAtqE pic.twitter.com/NgukDtcJpn
— Independent Voices (@IndyVoices) August 18, 2015
Amazon increasingly looks like an Orwellian nightmare in which the role of Big Bro is played by Big Bezos http://t.co/6QrmxgmwHu
— Izabella Kaminska (@izakaminska) August 18, 2015
Others have busted out sarcasm.
Excited to announce I'm pursuing work at Amazon after I heard employees cry on the job. Finally, a place I'll fit in.
— bourgeois beth (@bourgeoisalien) August 18, 2015
Do Amazon employees all cry at their desks? http://t.co/qt5FlmPnze pic.twitter.com/IvicokuRGC
— Fortune (@FortuneMagazine) August 18, 2015
There's been a bit of skepticism in the mix.
Working for Amazon can be awful. Is it as awful as the NYT says? http://t.co/QrUnSAuwNK
— Slate (@Slate) August 18, 2015
Some have reacted simply with indifferent interest.
Crazy and fascinating how much discussion happening about Amazon and Bezos right now, all of a sudden like this. http://t.co/XpTCZdbpPq
— Taylor Soper (@Taylor_Soper) August 18, 2015
And plenty have shown support for the way you run things.
Maybe working at Amazon is hard for a reason @BI_Video http://t.co/9Kpjjfp9mO pic.twitter.com/MVSylueNGH
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) August 18, 2015
In defense of Amazon's long hours http://t.co/p8dq43GDwy pic.twitter.com/GircZNCQdb
— Vox (@voxdotcom) August 18, 2015
Working at Amazon is Hell. So What? @realevilhrlady http://t.co/iptveK4AkF pic.twitter.com/Uv54lg7erc
— Inc. (@Inc) August 17, 2015
Interesting social commentary has emerged.
Everyone knew Amazon's warehouses were dystopian nightmares for workers. Moment white collar workers feel effects? Something Must Be Done
— Duncan Robinson (@duncanrobinson) August 18, 2015
And then, of course, there's your response.
Jeff Bezos dismisses claims of Amazon as soulless, dystopian workplace http://t.co/XpI6H2qLcl pic.twitter.com/wsNs2O2StT
— VentureBeat (@VentureBeat) August 18, 2015
So what can Amazon do? Good question, Mr. Bezos.
The highly intelligent, endlessly driven engineers, programmers, and other employees who want to work for Amazon will put in the time. But they might work better and more effectively with some changes.
This isn't a request for shorter days. We millennials are asking you and other industry leaders to inspire your employees to be both dedicated to hard work and lead full lives that include more than a few memories that don't involve sitting at a desk.
As the epitome of corporate success, you can be a true leader on this front, Mr. Bezos. It's clear you're building quite the legacy for yourself. So why not have it include incredible production from your employees and employee satisfaction? Why not balance professional efficiency with personal fulfillment? You've already accomplished so much – I can only imagine the impact you could have on building a happier, healthier workforce, too.
Sincerely,
Samantha
