I left Amazon in June of this year, in a similar-ish position to the author. I didn't have anywhere near that level of problems with the internal tooling[0], my frustrations were more related to seeing poor product prioritization decisions, neglect of tech debt, and repeated inefficiencies and mistakes in org-wide projects. Nonetheless, the feeling choosing to prioritize one's own mental health and recovery really resonates. Good for you, author! Take a break, get back in touch with yourself and what you care about, prioritize your joy, and I wish you all the best of luck in your next project!
[0] which I've found to be pretty-to-extremely-good compared with what I've discovered since leaving, and would actively welcome new perspectives on what flaws I'm missing.
Curious, did you go somewhere that at least matched your salary? I know Amazon compensates very well, so much so that it's probably difficult to find something else unless it's another FAANG company. I have a friend working there who basically deals with all the not-so-good things mostly because the compensation is so good.
Haven't moved on yet (intentionally took some time off to relax and refresh), but I expect I'll have to take a bit of a pay cut.
> I know Amazon compensates very well
That's not been my understanding - I thought it was noticeably below other FAANG companies (at least until the pay hike earlier this year)? I have only just started reaching out to possible employers so I don't really have any points of comparison.
Amazon's compensation wasn't anything special. The first two years were awesome because I got a $100K+ sign-on bonus prorated and tacked onto my paycheck every month. Once my first two years ended, my regular salary was pretty lackluster and I was easily able to find a job making a lot more elsewhere.
It's all about the RSUs. That all kicks in after year 2. If you're a lower level maybe you don't feel it as much. But for a high performing L6+ RSUs typically are -- or at least were designed to be -- the majority of your income compared to base pay.
I was an L6 and, at the time, my RSUs certainly gave me pause for leaving, but in the end the urgency of my mental health won out. My timescale was dictated by getting my Green Card, not (primarily) by finances.
yeah...different story now. The target comp numbers ) assume 15% stock growth per year from when it's allocated to you. That model is now broke for the first time in a decade+. How it gets fixed... I'm not sure, but, there is history of cash payments to compensate.
Point being, if you're not making more in year 3 than year 2 -- something is broke and/or your manager wasn't supporting you appropriately, or not hitting high enough on the performance ladder.
[0] which I've found to be pretty-to-extremely-good compared with what I've discovered since leaving, and would actively welcome new perspectives on what flaws I'm missing.