The idea behind quiet quitting is based around the idea of shooting for a 3 on a scale of 1-to-5 instead of shooting for a 4 or 5: AFTER management has dropped the ball and failed to acknowledge their efforts. People have twisted this to mean "I am going to do the bare minimum without getting fired" -- these people very quickly end up on PIPs or equivalent at many other companies, not just stricter employers like Amazon.
As an aside, it doesn't really make sense to quiet quit as a SWE for the sole reason of there still a ton of career upside for those who do good work[1]. If you're thinking of quiet quitting you probably just need a better employer.
[1] "Good work" as in people who actually get stuff done and produce good software, not those who merely just grind long hours to impress founders.
"I have six bosses bob, my only real motivation is not to get hassled that and fear of losing my job. But here's the thing bob, that gets someone to work just hard enough to avoid getting fired." - Office Space
Thank you for this sentence that helps to correct my perspective.
Not everyone is aiming high, some just want to go home and tend e.g. to their garden or walk the dog.
As an aside, it doesn't really make sense to quiet quit as a SWE for the sole reason of there still a ton of career upside for those who do good work[1]. If you're thinking of quiet quitting you probably just need a better employer.
[1] "Good work" as in people who actually get stuff done and produce good software, not those who merely just grind long hours to impress founders.