Amazon AWS CEO: AI Has Not Destroyed Programmer Jobs, Plans to Hire 11,000 Interns in 2026
Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), recently stated that software engineers remain crucial to Amazon, and the company's demand for software development talent is not only not decreasing but is accelerating. He revealed that Amazon plans to hire approximately 11,000 Software Development Engineer (SDE) interns in 2026, a scale that an Amazon spokesperson says is roughly consistent with recent years.
Garman made the above statement at the “What’s Next with AWS” event held this Tuesday. He said that even with artificial intelligence tools constantly changing the way software is developed, Amazon is still hiring developers in large numbers. “I can tell you that the number of software developers we hire internally at Amazon has not decreased compared to the past,” he said. “In fact, I think the demand for this is really accelerating.”
Amidst growing debate about whether “AI will impact or even replace programmers,” Garman remains cautious. He does not agree with the claim that “AI will massively destroy software engineering jobs,” but also acknowledges that the role of engineers is changing as new tools automate some work. He said that the ability to “hand-write a piece of Java code” will be less valuable in the future than it was a few years ago.
In his view, more important are broader capabilities, such as building complete applications, understanding and solving customer problems. At the same time, he emphasized that fundamental technical knowledge remains key, especially when working with customers using cloud services, where this technical understanding is indispensable.
In contrast to Garman’s optimistic statement, some tech leaders have recently issued stronger warnings about the impact of AI coding tools. Since the end of 2023, companies including Anthropic have successively launched tools that can generate code in minutes. In February of this year, Boris Cherny, creator of Claude Code, said that the job title “software engineer” may eventually “disappear.” Martin Casado, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, also said that the field is being disrupted by AI as a “discipline.”
Garman has previously refuted more radical views. In August of last year, he called the idea of “replacing junior employees with AI” “one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.” Amazon’s announcement of a large-scale plan to recruit software development interns comes as the company implements layoffs in multiple business units, including approximately 16,000 employees earlier this year. The company stressed that this round of layoffs was not primarily driven by AI.
An Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider: “Amazon has always viewed its internship program as an important path for discovering the next generation of leaders and builders.” He added that, as planned, the company will welcome more than 11,000 software development interns and early-career full-time software development engineers worldwide in 2026.