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Line Crossing

Just got done reading Kristi Coulter's Exit Interview and would highly recommend it to one and all - not just current or former Amazon employees (though they would be the most edified of all). She had a great story to tell and it is told extremely well. The core of what makes this company (and others similar to it) so incredibly hard to survive is captured with authenticity. No matter what you do, its never good enough, never world-changing enough and so on. And if you are not superhuman don't even bother to get recognized. On the off-chance that you are superhuman, then make sure you are at the right place and the right time being observed by the right people so they can shine a light on your superhumanity. While you wait for those multifarious miracles to visit you, be prepared to see others who don't seem to bring anything to the table beyond what you do (if that), hop skip and jump ahead. Their proof points will remain a complete mystery to you. You will be told to believe that the system works correctly.

Not everything in Coulter's story has to map what a person has or is experiencing in their own workplace, but there are themes that transcend Amazon, startups and tech. They apply as one reviewer pointed out, even to a school teacher. Irrespective of who we are and what kind of job we do, chances are that we are being gaslight in some way. If that is the case, then this book is for you. Some might ask why could the author simply not quit and get on with her life. Clearly, she was not desperately in need of anything Amazon had to offer her including the money. Those of us who have been in somewhat similar boat can answer that question - there is always a compelling reason and it differs by person. People are not stupid or insane even if it appears to others that they might be both. 

For me (for example), it is about the fear of giving up on income potential I currently have that I may no longer have in a few years. I was raised to believe that opportunity should be treated with due respect and not squandered thoughtlessly and frivolously. Just like one is lucky to have food on the table, they are also lucky to have the means to an income - these things do not come easy to one and all. To that end, I will choose to stay in a toxic swamp for as long as I find that I can manage the situation without impacting my physical and mental health. That is my red line. It can be argued that I could have a much better quality of life, more sense of purpose and a feeling of happiness about what I do for work - while that is all true, the toxic swamp I inhabit has not quite doing me in yet.

So I haven't crossed that red line that I have defined for myself. I believe such is the case with Coulter too - she had her line and it was only crossed at the point that she decided to quit. It is very hard for an observer outside looking in to make sense of a person's decision-making or rationale. But there is a sound logic for everyone who decides to stay and "suffer". Whether that logic is objectively sound is another matter.

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