Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace

[conan50]

Originally Posted by cfrizz

That's for sure since he won't be buying ANYTHING from ANYBODY!!!

One could buy local, keep dollars in the local economy. Perhaps not for everything, but all the truly important stuff like food.

[Angst]

Originally Posted by conan50

I would like to think this is a hit piece by the NYT as they have never seemed to care much for Amazon, but if true, this "Office Darwinism" is going to end up with a corporation run by Sociopaths.
They have the best customer service around, they better start spreading that concern for the customer well-being to their employees or it is going to bite them in the end.

All you need to do is make one assumption: dishonest people will outperform honest people over the short term. Then every year Amazon's "culling" will get rid of the honest people and keep the dishonest ones. Rinse and repeat. Soon only the sociopaths are left.

Best supporting quote from the article: "You learn how to diplomatically throw people under the bus."

Originally Posted by eschwartz

It hasn't bitten any of the other companies that have done/do the same exact thing. I am afraid you will be disappointed.

Enron!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by conan50

One could buy local, keep dollars in the local economy. Perhaps not for everything, but all the truly important stuff like food.

I have had a number of local business jobs.
It ain't different

'Just do it, I need to get PAID!' (to meet payroll, Job Materials loan note)

The worst customers (for withholding payments)... Those with big $$$)

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Angst

Enron!

Enron!
Enron!
Enron!

OK, that was fun. Now, what about them?

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by Angst

All you need to do is make one assumption: dishonest people will outperform honest people over the short term. Then every year Amazon's "culling" will get rid of the honest people and keep the dishonest ones. Rinse and repeat. Soon only the sociopaths are left.

False assumption. What will be "culled" are those that can't work effectively in a high stress environment. I worked 12 years as a software engineer in one of the hardest driving companies in the electronic industry and for the most part my fellow employees were highly effective and very dedicated to the products they worked on.

[Angst]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Enron!
Enron!
Enron!

OK, that was fun. Now, what about them?

Enron had the same policy of culling employees as Amazon, before Enron erupted so spectacularly.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Angst

Enron had the same policy of culling employees as Amazon, before Enron erupted so spectacularly.

Errr ...
Fairly certain it was illegal fraud and corruption that brought about Enron's demise.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Errr ...
Fairly certain it was illegal fraud and corruption that brought about Enron's demise.

I think Angst's point is that the culling of non-sociopaths lead to the culture that produced the illegal fraud and corruption.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Angst

Enron had the same policy of culling employees as Amazon, before Enron erupted so spectacularly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_hoc_ergo_propter_hoc

And in fact there is ample evidence that non propter hoc, notably, the actual charges they were charged with.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by rkomar

I think Angst's point is that the culling of non-sociopaths lead to the culture that produced the illegal fraud and corruption.

Actually, it was hiring a crooked management team that produced fraud and corruption.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I suspect you'll save a lot of money if you only purchase from companies that never put business ahead of their employees personal lives.

Yep. Sure will.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Actually, it was hiring a crooked management team that produced fraud and corruption.

Isn't it the same thing? You have to get rid of the non-crooks to put the crooks in place.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

I spent 20+ years as an Intel employee, the last 12 as a salaried exempt. Amazon's work environment is nothing new. If you can't take the pressure there are plenty low pressure jobs.

Getting shoved so much work at you that you'd need 80 hours to complete it instead of 40 (assuming you get paid for 40 hours) doesn't make a job a high pressure job. It makes your employer a slave driver.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Isn't it the same thing? You have to get rid of the non-crooks to put the crooks in place.

Even if we were to assume it is true that the work ethic favored dishonest people, filling the ranks of the peasant hordes/employees with dishonest people doesn't put more dishonest people into management positions.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by conan50

One could buy local, keep dollars in the local economy. Perhaps not for everything, but all the truly important stuff like food.

In season, we have prickly pears and peppers.
Farther south, watermelon and cantaloupe. A bit to the north potatoes.
Oh and cotton. Unless there is a drought or a deluge.
Sorry some places are not sustainable for local food.
Oh I know cotton is not a food, but it is a sort of local commodity.

Note for 3 years there was not any produce grown around here because there was NO precipitation.
Now some areas got too much rain and drowned the seedlings.