Much of the praise and many of the complaints are directed at Jeff Bezos. Not only is he the founder and CEO, but he also is the chief architect of all things Amazon. His personality is embodied in the company’s values and the way it operates. Like Bezos himself, employees are expected to use data, confront, persevere, and win.

This approach appeals to and is sustainable for only a very specific type of employee. One former employee described Amazon’s hiring process as “panning for gold”. The company is looking for rare stars who can thrive in its demanding environment, and it must sift through many people to find them.

This strategy is a real challenge for Amazon. Its size, growth rate, and turnover require the company to hire thousands and thousands of employees every year, and this doesn’t include the thousands of temporary workers it hires to meet the holiday rush. As of 2019, Amazon’s global workforce reached more than 613,000 employees worldwide, not including the 100,000 temporary employees the company hires for the holiday seasons.

Interviews with male employees in their 40s revealed that many are convinced Amazon will replace them with employees in their 30s, who worry in turn that the company prefers employees in their 20s. The implication? Younger employees have fewer commitments and more energy.