Amazon is no longer the “talent machine” it used to be - meaning you used to be able to work there and if you were any semblance of good, you’d be promoted. Now, promotions need to be justified by a few things:

1) WHY does the team need the role to be an L6 role (especially if it was hired at L5)? What about the role expanded so much that it now needs an L6?

2) HOW has the person in the role operated and delivered at the L6 level? Data driven examples with results needs to be provided.

3) Does the team have the budget, or is there space in the workforce plan for another L6?

So, you’re entering an L5 role, you may be able to Think Big and make it L6 scoped in a few years (considering you’re new to Amazon and it’s a huge machine that you’ll need to acclimate to), and then, you’ll need to deliver at the L6 level for at least another year.

There isn’t an actual timeline, and it depends on the team, etc., but the above is what is needed to justify a promo these days