Other places are cutting cost in far more profound ways: laptops and computer equipment, etc.
> The engineers focused on building product never noticed when the company had grown into something different than what they first joined. The sodas were just the wake-up call.
As for why engineers aren't leaving Amazon in droves, Amazon actually has pretty high turnover. The average employment term for engineers is 18 months. So engineers are leaving, but there are more engineers replacing them. Newly graduated engineers join big name tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook to boost their resumes before going on to do other things.
They are leaving Amazon. http://www.ibtimes.com/amazoncom-has-second-highest-employee...
The point here is that it wasn't the sodas that made them leave. The sodas were a tangible, visible thing that made them evaluate everything else, which also wasn't good.
If a company cuts costs of the little things, all of a sudden everything is put on the table. Stock options, salary, benefits, perks, headcount. It sends the message that the company cares about operating today more efficiently than it cares about growing (because no company would stop investing in employees if it could still grow, because good employees make good products).
Companies cut small costs because they believe that their product/market fit has reached the final destination and the only way to grow profits is by cutting. The best firms (and by extension, employees) realize that the best way to grow is always up.
They're spending $20 a week at wholesale to give 80 engineers ~2 cans a day. Your share would be $12.50/year.
personally, I would rather have teas and vitamin waters, rather than cans of sugar.