Company Overview

Amazon, founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos as an online bookstore, has evolved into the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing company. Prior to recent reductions, Amazon employed over 1.5 million people globally. The company dominates e-commerce (North America: 59% of Q4 2025 revenue), international markets (17%), and AWS cloud services (24% of revenue, with 24% year-over-year growth and a $244B backlog).

In Q4 2025, Amazon reported revenue of $213B (a 14% YoY increase), with Q1 2026 guidance at $173.5–178.5B. CEO Andy Jassy has emphasized the reinvention of customer experiences through AI and announced a $200B capital expenditure in AI/cloud by 2027.

Company Culture & Values

Amazon's culture is defined by its Leadership Principles, including Customer Obsession, Ownership, Bias for Action, and Dive Deep. The work environment is high-pressure and fast-paced, with a strong emphasis on "ownership"—especially amid recent layoffs, which signal adaptability and technical fluency as key survival traits.

The Stockholm office operates as a tech hub and supports hybrid work models. However, remote work varies by team and leans onsite for interns to foster collaboration.

Program & Position Details

The Software Development Engineer (SDE) Intern program in Stockholm targets students and recent graduates (typically ages 18–25) for 3–6 month summer or full-time placements in software engineering. Interns are placed on teams within AWS, e-commerce, or devices.

• Structure: 12-week immersive timeline with Week 1 orientation, ongoing project work, and a final presentation/demo.
• Key Skills: Proficiency in Java, C++, Python, or Go; strong data structures and algorithms (LeetCode medium-hard); cloud basics (AWS preferred); computer science fundamentals (OOP, systems design).
• Daily Responsibilities: Coding real features (e.g., backend services, optimization), code reviews, debugging production issues, and hands-on learning through projects that mirror full-time SDE work.

Mentorship & Training

• Assigned peer mentor and manager.
• Weekly 1:1 meetings.
• Access to internal courses (e.g., AWS training, Ramp-Up guides).
• Participation in hackathons.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Enrolled in a Computer Science or related degree (Bachelor's or Master's).
• Minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Legal work rights in Sweden/EU.

Application Process

1. Online Application: Submit a 1-page resume (quantify impact, e.g., "Built scalable app serving 10k users") and transcript.
2. Online Assessment (OA): 2–3 coding problems (90–120 minutes, HackerRank-style: arrays, trees, dynamic programming).
3. Phone/Virtual Loop: 1–2 interviews (60 minutes each, covering coding and behavioral questions).
4. Virtual Onsite: 4–5 sessions (60 minutes each): 2 coding, 1 systems design, 1 behavioral, 1 bar-raiser.

Common Questions

• Coding: "Design LRU Cache," "Merge k sorted lists," "Find median in stream."
• Behavioral: "Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate" (use STAR method tied to Leadership Principles).
• Amazon-specific: "How would you improve Prime Video recommendation?"

Standout Traits

• Quantified resume impacts.
• Examples aligned with Leadership Principles.
• Open-source contributions or AWS projects.
• Enthusiasm for scale (e.g., "handling petabytes").

Interview Process & Insider Tips

Interview Tips

• Verbalize your thought process in coding rounds ("Time complexity O(n log n) because...").
• Use the STAR method for behavioral questions.
• Expect probing on edge cases.

Questions to Ask Interviewers

• "How does this team leverage AI post-recent investments?"
• "What does success look like for interns contributing to AWS growth?"

Red Flags

• Generic answers or poor communication.
• Negativity about past teams.
• Ignoring Leadership Principles (e.g., lacking "customer obsession" examples).
• Amid layoffs, avoid asking about job security—focus on innovation.

Practical Information