Confidential Amazon documents have shed light on the company's struggle to compete for AI talent, hampered by salary caps, a frugal culture, and a return-to-office mandate. These factors have made it challenging for Amazon to lure top-tier professionals, while rivals such as Meta and OpenAI are leveraging generous compensation packages to attract the best minds. Despite Amazon's efforts to tweak its approach, the deeply embedded salary structure and culture have proven resilient to change. The scarcity of top AI talent has weakened the competitiveness of Amazon's products, and upcoming strategic shifts face formidable obstacles.