User-9ukp3Sep 24, 2026

Torn on whether to leave Amazon for an AI lab

Hack2hire Community · 2026-09-24T19:30:00.019Z

Torn on whether to leave Amazon for an AI lab Genuine question for anyone who's made this jump. 6 YOE at Amazon, L5, decent team, WLB is honestly fine right now. Got an offer from one of the AI labs recently and the TC bump is real but I keep going back and forth. Everyone talks about the mission and the pace over there but I've also heard the hours are rough and the culture round alone can make or break you before you even get a team. At this point of my career I care more about not burning out...

Others

amazon

14562.3k

Replies (4)

User-dr11rSep 24, 2026

The culture round filtering is real too, I've heard multiple people say they cleared everything technical and got dinged there.

User-fhsndSep 25, 2026

Made the jump myself last year. No regrets but it's not for everyone, the pace is real.

priyaramanSep 25, 2026

Curious how long it took you to adjust to the pace.

danielkimSep 25, 2026

If WLB is genuinely fine where you are right now that's worth more than people give it credit for.

User-snpqwSep 24, 2026

Depends a lot on the team honestly. I know people at labs working 90 hour weeks and others who say it's chill.

kevinzhaoSep 25, 2026

Yeah that's kind of what worries me, feels like a coinflip on team.

No more replies