[jasonallen]

I've worked at Microsoft, Amazon, and several other places. These clauses are pretty standard. I'd say it would be unusual to find a place that doesn't make you sign these (or similar) clauses. My experience has been that it mostly depends on your relationship with your boss. If you're a strong performer and your side interests don't interfere or compete with the company, you're "usually" fine. That's not a guarantee: it's just the odds. Your location of employment also matters. I assume you're planning to work in Seattle, and unfortunately Washington is company-friendly when it comes to worker rights. California is usually more worker-friendly. If you're planning on working on AWS, you're probably going to have little free time. Don't fret this legalese if you plan on dabbling in open source or write games on your free time. However if you're probably going to run into problems than other than just legal ones if you're planning on creating a business on the side: amazon usually demands too much to leave you with much free time.

[CaptSpify]

I would argue that just because it is standard doesn't mean it should be. I think the original poster is right in being concerned, even if it's typically not enforced