AWS CEO Matt Garman downplays AI-driven job loss fears as Amazon plans to hire 11,000 software engineering interns in 2026.
AI tools may be changing how software gets written, but AWS CEO Matt Garman says Amazon is not backing away from hiring.
Speaking at Amazon’s “What’s Next with AWS” event. Garman argued that the company continues to recruit software developers at a pace consistent with recent hiring levels.. He added that he sees rising demand for developers as AI reshapes parts of day-to-day work. rather than eliminating the need for engineering talent.
In this context, the signal for the labor market is clear: even if tasks evolve, Amazon is still treating software development as core business capacity.
Garman also said Amazon plans to bring on 11,000 software engineering interns in 2026. An Amazon spokesperson indicated that this number aligns with prior years, framing the internship push as an ongoing pipeline for future builders rather than a one-off recruitment wave.
Still, the AWS CEO emphasized that AI is likely to shift what engineers are valued for. He suggested that being highly specialized in authoring code in a narrow, snippet-based way is becoming less important than before, because new tools can automate parts of the coding workflow.
That matters because it points to a rebalancing of skills: companies may demand more end-to-end capability, including building applications and solving customer problems, while allowing AI to handle some routine translation of requirements into code.
Instead of dismissing technical expertise, Garman said technical knowledge remains important, particularly when engineers work with customers using cloud services. In other words, the profession may be changing in emphasis, with more focus on architecture, product outcomes, and customer needs.
His remarks come as AI coding tools gain momentum and some tech leaders have warned that AI could disrupt the software engineering career track. Within that wider debate, Amazon’s stance is essentially that AI will alter roles, not erase them.
Even with hiring continuing, the backdrop includes corporate restructuring pressures.. Earlier this year. Amazon carried out layoffs affecting parts of its corporate workforce. and the company said the cuts were not primarily driven by AI.. At the same time. it reaffirmed that its internship program remains a key pathway for nurturing the next generation of engineers and leaders.
This combination of messaging and action is likely to resonate across the tech hiring landscape: when a major employer pairs AI adoption with sustained internship intake, it signals that the industry’s transition may be about redefining roles rather than simply removing them.