I loved this book - really connected with the content, found it clever and funny all awhile being relatable to a lot of people. Will definitely recommend.

A humorous and horrifying look at what it was like for a woman to work as a manager at Amazon. Kristi’s earlier book (which I haven’t read) details her using alcohol to cope with her increasingly demanding job and then becoming sober. This underlies but doesn’t overshadow her frank discussion of where Amazon succeeds (big, audacious goals; stock options; challenging employees to work outside their comfort zone, etc.) and fails (work-life balance; parity for female execs; internal communication, etc.). We learn about her past, her parents, her marriage, her dogs, as the author opens herself up about her fear of failure in a place that demands employees work to “change the world” to earn a promotion.
Many thanks to #NetGalley for advanced access to the audiobook, read by the author. Definitely recommended for working women, for anyone who follows the tech industry, and for men who question why there aren’t more women in senior roles at their companies.
(originally posted to Goodreads, Sept 2023)

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me and was a DNF but I am sure other readers will feel differently! Thank you for the ARC!

This was a very interesting and entertaining work of semi-creative nonfiction. It was biographical but also had a lot of meandering mini-chapters in between chronological sections. It might sound confusing and weird but I felt like it had a bit of realness to it. I learned a LOT about the cult that is Amazon. I hope Kristi is doing much better now!

"Exit Interview" by Kristi Coulter us beautifully crafted personal narrative they offers a revealing glimpse into the life at one of the world's largest corporations, Amazon. Coulter's storytelling skilfully unveils the often harrowing reality of working at Amazon, which, for me, exceeded my negative expectations. As I delved into the pages of this book, I couldn' t help but celebrate Coulter's decision to depart from the corporate world and embrace career in writing, it felt like she had truly discovered her calling. The narration of her story is executed with grace and precision, making fir an engrossing and thought-provoking read. Thanks Netgally for this ARC.

EXIT INTERVIEW by Kristi Coulter is everything: a tell-all expose about one of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful companies in the world (Amazon); an almost ethnographic treatise on women in the workplace and the disadvantages they must overcome from Day One; a tale of stress-induced alcoholism (also over-exercise-ism) and subsequent sobriety/healthier habits; a marriage memoir featuring profiles both of work husbands and Kristi’s real husband; an experimental book comprised of “lists” that get revisited and updated as the meaning of the items on those lists changes … all capped by a moving soliloquy at the end that’s part-dream but also manages to be one of the most satisfying conclusions to a memoir I have ever read. The question I kept asking myself throughout this book (I listened to the audiobook, also read by Coulter) was: How can a woman this corporate-minded and business-savvy also write this beautifully, slash have this intimate a knowledge of story? I was blown away. I loved every minute of it.

I don't think my reaction to Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career was what it was supposed to be.

I wasn't terribly surprised as to how awful working for Amazon was. I had read Uncanny Valley: A Memoir; I expected Kristi Coulter's work memoirs to be similar. I guess I didn't know much at all about Amazon corporate before reading Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career. I didn't even know about the lifeboat exercises.

As a woman, I'm aware of how I'm supposed to react to the work memoirs of my fellow females. The reality is that, most of the time, reading work memoirs like Kristi Coulter's, I end up feeling cold and unsympathetic. Even though Amazon sounds like a nightmarish work environment, I've always made less than $40K a year. I'm not that much younger than Kristi Coulter. I have graduate degrees. I've lived in major metro areas. I have never been the primary caregiver of human beings of any age. And yet, I've never had opportunities like hers. I should be nothing but jealous of Kristi Coulter, grizzling that it's not fair that she got to work herself into burnout with the ability to buy designer clothes. I passed on Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career a couple of times for that reason. Then, Macmillan Audio (thank you) allowed me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.

I'm a sucker for anything read by the author. Kristi Coulter's narration was pretty good. It's obvious she's not primarily a public speaker, but that's fine. As the author, her job was to write an engaging story. At that she succeeded. She managed to keep me on her side throughout the whole ordeal-- even when she started running. (I don't run. I have strong feelings about running, in fact.) When Kristi Coulter started running, that should've been the last straw. I should've declared then and there that I hated her and she deserved whatever The River did to her. I didn't. By then she had allowed her personality to reach me, and I felt invested in her journey. I knew how the story ended, mostly, but I kept reading on and rooting for her.

Maybe I sell myself short. While far more people are interested in the corporate machinations of Amazon than the employers I've worked for, maybe my story could have just as many readers. Maybe I could have more readers because I've managed to do it all without a salary (I've always worked for wages). Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career gave me a lot to think about. I don't know if they were the intended things, though. I still really liked listening to Kristi Coulter tell me her story. I will recommend the book to others. I'm sure I will think of it often. I may even pick up a copy of Nothing Good Can Come from This.

Kristi Coulter, you made the right decision, exiting your corporate job and dedicating yourself to your writing! What a gift your words and honesty are. This book, The Exit Interview, was an excellent story that I believe all women can relate to and appreciate. I personally felt very connected to Kristi’s journey, in her climbing the ladder, wanting to climb like her male counterparts but struggling to do so because of gender labels, and constantly battling that internal voice of shame, self deprecation, and self doubt.

For those simply curious about the inner working of Amazon growth, this book is also for you.

I listened to the audiobook, which was excellently narrated. I listened at 1.75x speed, which is my normal.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audio copy. I do apologize for my delay in listening and reviewing.

Kristi Coulter is an ambitious, driven woman who found her office job boring but stable. When an opportunity to work for Amazon arises, Kristi jumps at the chance to push herself and be more innovative. The money is good, the stock options are even better, but the work is rigorous and draining. For over a decade she works on various projects with various job titles, but she never earns a promotion while the men around her rise to the top. Eventually she realizes that she is holding out for a dream that Amazon will never make a reality.

This is very well written. Kristi considered herself a writer before her time at Amazon, and her prose backs it up. The memoir is conversational but informative in many ways. The corporate Amazon speak is so far beyond my understanding as a public school teacher, but Kristi tells the story in a way that is accessible to all readers. I didn’t find this book as funny as the synopsis and many reviews state, but I didn’t mind. The only issue I have is throughout the book she lists things she has been told about being a woman in corporate America, which are funny and ridiculous, but she repeats herself a lot. I know that it’s for effect and she adds onto them with what she’s learned to be true, but I found it repetitive and not necessary to the plot. Overall, I really enjoyed this. It’s a deep dive into the grueling world of Amazon without bashing the company or speaking negatively of the workers. It’s simply her experience, and it’s candid and authentic.

Do you remember The NY Times article about working at Amazon? It really stuck with me so as soon as I saw Exit Interview was about Coulter’s experience working for Amazon, I was sold.

I listened to the book in a day and it felt like hearing a good friend share about her experiences at work. A lot of it will probably feel familiar to many women. But it also shared a lot of truth about what it’s like to work for Amazon. And honestly the main thing I felt while reading was a lot of gratitude for the culture where I work and reminded of how incredibly important that is to me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free audiobook to review.

I have read many a memoir. Memoirs can be a tricky read because it takes a certain level of self-awareness from the author to talk about their life experiences but make it broad enough for the general audience to understand. To get the audience to not only root for the author throughout their trials and successes, but not put hte author on a pedestal because they can do no wrong or not admit any fault or accountability.

Kristi Coulter navigates these challenges phenomenally.

I think it goes without saying that the general opinion of Amazon's business practices and employee treatment has gone through ebbs and flows throughout the years. We have heard the founder be called everything from brilliant to eccentric to an out of touch billionaire. But Coulter gives unique perspective as a mid to high-mid level employee who worked on some major projects. Her experiences as a woman in this massive company was, unfortunately, not surprising.

Coulter's memoir reads as honest and thoughtful in her reflection on her participation in the hustle-culture that is expected in these types of environments, and I think this memoir reads as an authentic, cautionary tale on the highs and lows that come with participation in that culture.

Overall, a sharp, funny, honest memoir that is definitely worth a read -- and a phenomenal narration by Coulter as well!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and MacMillion Audio for this advenced copy of Exit Interview*

Wow. This in-depth look into over a decade of one woman's corporate career was thought-provoking and full of insight into the day to day of a high-stress corporate job. I was fascinated with the sheer scope of Kristi's career and all the different roles she possessed in her time at Amazon. Being the giant that it is, getting to hear the ins and outs of Amazon felt like being let into a secret, though infuriating, world. Coulter's writing is immaculate and though it is sometimes hard to keep track of all the different characters in her life, this memoir is an engaging read that I would reccommend to anyone interested in the sociology of business, feminism, and/or self-reflection.

Based on the description of this book, I knew we were going to learn more about the inner workings of the world's biggest company, which is fascinating in its own right. So it was not surprising to hear how stressful it was to be working at a corporate level in a ground-breaking business that has shaped e-commerce as we know it. I was surprised at how well the author intertwined her own personal experiences with the alarming yet all-too-familiar facts about being a woman in the business world. Coulter is a great author who is able to tackle difficult topics with humor and grace. This would be a great book club title!

I requested this book because it seemed like an interesting topic. I think the author just did an okay job. There were several times where I was losing track of where she was going with her story. This is possibly because I lost interest in certain parts. Other parts were better and I followed along quite well. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will give the author this: she has much more stamina than me--I would have cut bait and run much earlier than she did. She gives us an insider's view of corporate Amazon and it really didn't seem very pleasant. There has been much written about the warehouses and drivers, but those in corporate actually had to put up with "conditions" just as bad--although they were making much more money. If the reader didn't know that the book was true he/she might think that this story is so absurd and think it is a comedy-the fact that it is real makes it a tragedy. Good for Ms. Coulter for exposing a very sad situation with humor and make it interesting and readable.

I enjoyed this one a lot more that I had expected to. It was really interesting to see the perspective shift as the book goes on, and a bit wild to see how much Amazon really is run as a cult.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is interested in seeing the other side of the public facade of Amazon, or truly any corporate environment.

Coulter is very articulate in expressing her feelings, and great at making a story flow without bogging folks down in jargon. I will keep an eye out for more by her in the future.

A great listen by Kristi Coulter! I really enjoyed the inside look at one of the largest employers in the US: Amazon. Coulter's take on women in the workplace was relatable and refreshing.

This book gives you an inside look at Amazon's company culture. From some of the earlier days to more recently, you can see as the company has grown, some things haven't changed. There is little mobility and often previous employees need trauma therapy. It's interesting to see a woman's perspective in a tech space.

Wow, I knew I was in for some dark corporate experiences but this book took me to an unexpected dystopian level of corporate hell. It felt a bit like disaster voyeurism, peeking into the horrible career pitfalls and glass ceilings of the author. She is funny, whip-smart, and related able. I was rooting for her to make it out of the Minotaur maze that is Amazon corporate echelons. The narration is phenomenal! Readers who enjoy deep dives, feminism lite, corporate behind the scenes, book world, and struggle or redemption stories would love this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting viewpoint into the high-paced, insane world of the startup days of Amazon. Kristi is incredibly bright and her telling of these wild, admittedly unhinged stories of what was really going on in the early days of this world-known company. I'm not entirely sure I'd agree with this being wickedly funny, but it was rather humourous especially the incredibly toxic work culture.