Could you work at Amazon? Probably not. You're too soft.
Amazon is that unique product of American capitalism: an elite sweatshop. It demands total dedication from its employees. Although its motto is "Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History," you can forget about the fun part. Only the highly motivated need apply, and even they are often reduced to crying at their desks. As one former Amazonian told The New York Times, "Amazon is where overachievers go to feel bad about themselves."
Last week's Times piece on Amazon's workplace culture drew more than 6,600 comments. The piece described the culture as "punishing," bruising" and "extreme." It recounted harrowing tales of people who were sidelined when they got cancer, or when they asked for time off for family emergencies. It was a portrait of soulless capitalism at work.
At Amazon, no one cares about your work-life balance. The place is run as a ruthless meritocracy. People are constantly assessed by their co-workers, using something called an "Anytime feedback tool." Everyone and everything is measured, all the time. Are your metrics mediocre? You're out.
As one scarred veteran commented online, "Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History – but defenestrate any silly notions that you matter as a person."
So why are so many people lined up to work there?
Because if you can make it at Amazon you can make it anywhere. Because there is a widening gap in all aspects of modern life between "the best" and "the rest." Because the rewards down the road could be phenomenal.
But the lure of a job at Amazon is not just to get ahead. It is to break new ground and do things that have never been done before. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, makes no secret of his messianic desire to change the nature of commerce itself. Amazon's ultimate mission is to sell everything to everyone, everywhere.
"Bezos rightly sees that taking seriously a certain notion of progress and commerce requires treating the corporation like a church – and not as one of those nice, friendly mainline denominations, but as a missionary order or doomsday cult," wrote Matthew Schmitz, deputy editor of First Things. "Sacrifices that it would be unreasonable to demand for a mere business look very different when they are expected in the service of a religious cause. The question remains whether the religion is true or false."
The relentless work ethic required at Amazon is singularly American. So is the belief that technology and efficiency are fundamental agents of human progress. Amazon's mission is to harness the power of technology and data so that it can deliver goods and services cheaper and faster than everybody else. As Mr. Bezos famously says of his competition, "Your margin is my opportunity." And it's working. Amazon now employs more than 180,000 people – most of them hired in the past few years. The company is valued at a staggering $262-billion (U.S.) – more than Wal-Mart – even though its profits are almost non-existent. It is now the most valuable retailer in the world.
Although the Times piece didn't say so, elite sweatshops, ruthless meritocracies, and brutal management practices are nothing new in business. They are a way of life in top financial companies and law firms, where the rewards (for the survivors) are spectacular. That's why people are so eager to sign on. Investment banker Goldman Sachs had to instruct its interns this summer to stay out of the office between midnight and 7 a.m., for fear they'd work themselves to death. Even Netflix, which drew gushing coverage for its new progressive-sounding parental leave policy, is not a very nice place to work. To evaluate employees, it uses a "keeper test." Managers are asked which employees they'd fight to keep. If they wouldn't fight for you, you're out. "Sustained B-level performance, despite 'A for effort' generates a generous severance package, with respect," the company guidelines say.
So go on, take all the time you need for your kids! Just don't let it show.
Amazon's corporate culture defies everything we've been told about the importance of caring workplaces, balanced lives and humane bosses. It also points the way to a workplace future in which people will increasingly be measured on everything they do. Whether you're a waitress, an Uber driver or a column writer, everyone will know exactly how efficient and popular you are.
Amazon also reminds us that many (if not most) successful business enterprises were built by ruthless S.O.B.s. Many of these unpleasant tyrants did change the world for the better. The hated John D. Rockefeller was responsible for bringing cheap fuel to the masses and transforming the living standards of ordinary people. Wal-Mart, widely reviled for its rock-bottom wages, squeezing of suppliers, and the destruction of mom-and-pop-shops on Main Street, made a much bigger range of consumer goods far more affordable to the masses.
Now Amazon is challenging Wal-Mart. On one level its mission seems trivial and absurd. As The New York Times tells it, Amazon employees are ruining their lives to make sure customers get same-day Elsa dolls and next-day selfie sticks. But put another way, the mission seems quite noble. It is to deliver countless goods and services, online or to your door, with no more time or effort on your part than a few keystrokes. You can debate the morality of this if you want, but not the convenience, or the money saved on gas or the time saved schlepping to the mall. You can even spend the time you save playing with your kids.
So, is Amazon good for the world? Of course it is – so long as I don't have to work there.