The real differences between working at Apple/Amazon and Revolut

Just so you know, this newsletter reflects only my own opinion and experience.

?I’ve been asked multiple times: How is working at Revolut vs Apple and Amazon?

First, I want to give a bit of background of my role in each company and how long I’ve been there.

I started my career at Apple in 2017 in Ireland as a technical advisor (I was in charge of answering calls from clients having technical issues with their Apple devices). One year later, I was promoted to technical supervisor (the same job but with more complex clients and a slight salary increase). Apple was created in 1974, totalling 170k employees and around 2 billion customers. ?After two years of working there, I moved to Amazon.

I worked for four and a half years at Amazon. I started as a recruitment coordinator (in charge of scheduling interviews and helping candidates with scheduling queries) and then moved into a recruiter role (I interviewed candidates, closed roles, reviewed resumes, etc.). ?Amazon was launched in 1994, totalising 1,4M employees and around 310M customers.

I’ve been working at Revolut for almost 8 months now; I’m a mid-level recruiter in charge of interviewing candidates, reviewing resumes, closing roles, etc.) For those who don’t know Revolut, it’s an online bank launched in 2015 that totals 10k employees and 40M customers worldwide.

Now that you have a better comparison of the size and age of the companies, let’s dive into the 7 following topics that, for me, matter the most in a company:

1)??????? Management

2)??????? Work/life balance.

3)??????? Impact of my work

4)??????? Growing opportunities

5)??????? Benefits / Pay

6)??????? Difficulty to get in

• Management

?At Apple, I was micromanaged. I had 2 minutes between each call to log in the systems notes, and if I was exceeding, a manager came to check on me. My breaks were times by the second, and I had 30 minutes to get around the campus, eat, and return to my desk, most often running so my manager wouldn’t get mad at me for being 30 seconds late. They listened to my interactions with clients, and every word I was saying was evaluated to see if I was saying the right thing.

At Amazon, I had 13 different managers in 4,5 years. You better get used to change and be good at tracking your achievements. Of these 13 managers, I had 4 good ones who supported my growth and taught me things. The management style is more laid back, with no micromanagers (for most). There are too many employees; some teams have too many members, and managers are overwhelmed. I never had clear KPIs to achieve and had to get involved in projects “to gain visibility” that I didn’t even like. Also, Amazon wasn’t a fan of me having a career coaching business.

At Revolut, my manager allows me to work on my terms. My KPIs are clear, and I’m not micromanaged. I also get a say in team decisions. Sometimes, things get busy, and you feel it, but that’s what you get when joining a start-up-like environment. Revolut and my managers are 100% aligned and supportive of my career coaching business. ??

• Work-life balance:

At Apple, you have a gym on the campus, a basketball area, restaurants, doctors, dentists, and masseuses, which gives them unique benefits, but in the end, you feel like spending so much time at work that it takes away from your personal life. We didn’t have a home allowance then, so Work took up more space than life. Extra hours were paid, though, so it can work well, depending on your preferences.

At Amazon, before COVID-19, we could work from home one day per week. Then, during COVID-19, everyone was fully remote, bringing work-life balance to a whole new level. However, after changing the CEO from Jeff to Andy, he decided that every employee needed to return to the office at least three days per week. Bye, guys. Not with me, anyway. I left for Revolut.?

At Revolut, I can go to the office here in Madrid or work from home if I want to. I am not expected to stay behind my desk all day, but we have some flexibility in working hours. We focus more on the outcome (clear target to reach) rather than caring if I’m in the office or how long I take a break. We also have a working abroad policy of 120 days per year, making it cool if you want to extend your stay post-holidays.?

• Impact of the work

I won’t compare the 3 companies here as I was in a different role and department at Apple, so I will only compare Amazon vs Revolut. At Amazon, we had 1,4M employees. At Revolut, 10k, so as a recruiter, when you hire someone, you’re more able to personalise the experience and stay in touch with a candidate when there’s a lower hiring volume. Amazon is already a big, established company, while Revolut is still in the early days, especially in Europe, where I am primarily hiring, so seeing the growth of the teams and participating increases the impact you have. More employees also mean that whenever you have an idea, someone in the 1,4M probably already has it. There’s less bureaucracy at Revolut due to its size, making it easier whenever you want to get approval or challenge a process.

• Growing opportunities?

At Apple, there were growing opportunities, but only within my department. They have good leadership programs if you’re interested in becoming a manager. However, if you want to change departments, it isn’t easy. In my situation, I remember speaking with a recruitment manager who told me it was nearly impossible for me to become a recruiter with them. With time, I’ve seen some friends moving internally, but it takes years, and I am still somewhat connected to the same department.

There are many opportunities at Amazon, as there are many employees, and you can even move to a different team. Some people who worked with me in recruitment moved to branding, marketing, project management, etc. However, for a couple of years, they have cut the budget on promotion and made many layoffs, so it’s more challenging to grow seniority within the same team.

I haven’t been at Revolut long enough to experience it myself, but I see a lot of internal movements. People who have never had people management experience are hired into people manager roles, giving them opportunities they have sought for a long time. As the company is still in the early stages of growth, I wouldn’t be surprised by all the opportunities in different departments coming soon.

• Benefits/Pay

Apple has a fantastic campus in Ireland. You have everything you need: doctors, ophthalmologists, masseuses, excellent restaurants (Italian, Asian, etc.), a gym, and a basketball field. You also get a 27% discount on Apple products, and the pay is above average.

The benefits weren’t so great at Amazon, but you get a decent number of shares, a sign-on bonus, and excellent pay (unless you stay in the same role for too long).

At Revolut, we get a Revolut metal card (with Tinder Premium and NordVPN Premium—I know that’s cool!), your birthday off, and you can work from abroad for 120 days/year. The pay is good, and you also get bonuses.

• Difficulty to get in?

Apple was the easiest to get into. They were in dire need of French speakers. I had a technical interview and a call with the recruiter.

?Amazon was the second most challenging to get into; it’s like preparing for an exam, and there is an entire half-day of interviews back-to-back.

?Revolut was the most challenging to pass; I went through interviews assessing problem-solving skills, which was the first time I had the case and other interviews with senior team members. The process lasted a bit over a month.

All three companies have helped me grow in my career in ways I wouldn’t have imagined.

I’m also grateful for the people I met in these companies, some of whom became friends for life.?

Whatever you are looking for, I hope this newsletter was helpful and brought you some insights.

Thank you for reading me,

Damien

PS: the photo was taken in Cobh, Ireland. ?