[guacamoleSoda]

I've worked at some of the FANGs, including Amazon. As far as their standard workspace equipment goes (e.g. computers, desk, monitors, etc...), they seemed to be more or less at parity with the other companies. The workspaces used to be on the drab side, but they've taken to modernizing them with bright colors and lounge furniture in common areas that looks trendy but is damned uncomfortable. They don't really have any perks like high-quality micro-kitchens (except at subsidiaries and sites where those sorts of perks are standard locally), cafes, gyms, etc...

EDIT: I should mention that I'm pretty easy when it comes to things like computer hardware and desks. I just need a terminal, chair to sit in, plain old desk, and I'll be happy. I might not notice any differentiating factors other people find important...

[confounded]

Amazon are probably the only large monopolistic tech company that make employees pay for their own lunch.

EDIT: I am mollycoddled and wrong (see below).

[jonknee]

Which is great for the city. Amazon's big perk is that they're in the city and since they don't feed the staff there are tons of restaurants to walk to.

[atomical]

There are also thousands of other companies in the city as well.

[jonknee]

None nearly as large as Amazon... Amazon has 19% of all prime office space in the whole city [1] and they're concentrated over a fairly small number of blocks. They're bigger than the next 40 largest employers combined.

[1] https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/thanks-to-amazo...

[objclxt]

Out of the FAANG's neither Apple nor Amazon provide free lunch (although Apple's on-site cafes are very good. You pay $5-10 for an entree, depending on what you get).

Going by Glassdoor, Netflix doesn't universally provide free food at all its offices either.

[CydeWeys]

My employer provides free meals, and it's amazing how much of an outsized effect it has on my affection for them, relative to the actual cost to them of the perk. I know there's plenty of other perks that they spend more money on than the free food (office in good location, 401k match, and healthcare for starters), but the free food really sticks out as something I'm appreciative of. I'd definitely miss it once I no longer had it.

[TheSpiceIsLife]

> My employer provides free meals

Do you mean most big tech employers in the US?

I've never heard of an Australian company providing food for employees. Is it common in the US, or just amongst the big tech companies?

[thundergolfer]

Well Atlassian's Australian and provides food to employees, as does Seek (also Australian). It isn't full-catered hot food everyday but it's still great.

I haven't heard of a non-tech Australian company that does though, and would certainly say it's a 'big tech company' thing

[CydeWeys]

It's common in the US, not just at big tech companies, but at any "Silicon-Valley-style" tech company of any size. Companies that aren't big enough to have their own cafeteria might have a daily Seamless order, for example.

[atomical]

It's common at some startups because the startup wants to keep the employee at work. Ordering dinner at 6 so it arrives at 7 and employees stay until 8:PM. It happens.

[mattnewton]

I think it’s just a google-and-people-poaching-googlers thing? (Facebook, Linkedin are the only other two I know of). We did not get free lunch at Apple.

[akhilcacharya]

So does Microsoft.

Amazon doesn't have free soda though