I have 16 YoE (12 YoE as Engineer) and 4.4 YoE at Amazon as Sr. Product Mgr. My academics background is computer science and engineering, and psychology. In the past I worked as an industrial designer, hardware and software engineer. I've worked at American Express, ReD Associates, Lamborghini, General Dynamics, Netflix, ByteDance, and now at Amazon. I joined Amazon to take a break from Engineering roles and pick up some business and product skills. I maintain 3 major FOSS (2 of them have over 300K+ daily active users) and in the last 4 years I've been able to significantly increase my contributions and release major updates the community has been requesting for many years now (something I couldn't do before as I was approaching burnout).
Joined Amazon as L6 IC despite passing interview for L7 Head of Prime video (because f** Prime video and people management is not something I love). My comp is base 275K and RSU is 130K. Team reporting line is L12 -> L10 -> L8 -> L8 -> L7 -> Me.
New L7 Manager is an incompetent Yes-person, does everything the L8s tell em' to do, has no vision of how to grow the team/business/product. I have a very good working relationship with both L8s.
Now, the (skip) L8 wants to promote me in order to retain me as he knows I'm planning to leave (I've been meeting my L7 Principal IC role guidelines for the last 2.5 years). However, L7 is trying to scope my role into a people manager role by mashing together 4x L6 and 2X L5 roles into one with 5 direct reports under me (these are roles the L7 had attrition and has since been unable to fill). I rejected this plan, and educated the L7 that this will never pass scope approval process. Also had to educate L7 that a role scope for IC should be focused like a single good best-selling book rather than a pile of low quality trash no one wants to read; quality over quantity.
L7 went and discussed with L8. Now has a new plan for my L7 scope and also wants to do a 2:1 career discussion with skip this time. They know they're fucked if they lose me. I've been asking them to provide me a successor candidate so that I can complete my succession planning for the last 8-months. Their L10 is visiting in 2-months for a whole week and wants to review the next 3-year plans. I think their whole agenda right now is to squeeze a dozen 3-year plans and PRFAQs out of me to impress their L10 and not genuinely support my career (my speculation, I trust them as much as I trust a dingo alone with a child).
I want to leave. I've already gotten an offer from a competitor within Amazon for an L7 scoped role. New hiring manager says they can raise my pay to L7 levels while working on my promo so I don't miss-out on comp. New hiring manager wants to close me fast for similar reasons such as creating a 3-year plan for the business that will be reviewed with their L10/L11 and the L12.
Should I switch or remain? How do I leave without burning this bridge? I have to make sure my exit remains a 2-way decision because in my new role, the existing team is a business partner, the L8, L7, and whoever replaces me will be working closely with me on many products and initiatives.
