Ex-Amazon managers say they were pressured to cut successful workers to meet attrition goals — and faced retribution when they resisted

Mon, 02/27/2023 - 10:42

People in the lobby of Amazon offices in New York — Amazon sets a goal each year for how many employees it wants to lose, voluntarily or otherwise, without managers being upset about their departure, Insider has reported.
Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

Former Amazon managers say they were pressured to cut successful workers to meet attrition goals.
When they resisted doing so, they faced retribution, according to Insider's reporting.
An Amazon spokesperson said the anecdotes don't reflect reality for most of the company's workers.

Amazon's annual performance reviews were approaching, and a programmer team lead was prepared.

He had landed at Amazon after a series of jobs running teams at other high-profile tech employers. In anticipation of Amazon's performance-review period, he told Insider, he'd kept careful notes on what his employees were doing well and where they could improve.