New Delhi: Just weeks after carrying out one of its largest workforce reductions, Amazon is sending mixed signals about its hiring strategy. Amazon recently announced job losses of almost 30,000 employees across its businesses, including in late 2025 and early 2026. Meanwhile, there has been growing concern about AI and automation taking over human jobs, particularly in the technology sector.
However, fresh comments from Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), suggest a different direction. At the AWS What’s Next event, Garman confirmed that Amazon is not reducing its developer headcount. In fact, it aims to employ 11,000 software development interns and full-time engineers in 2016.
Amazon plans fresh hiring despite layoffs
Garman stressed that Amazon is still in need of software engineers. Amazon is still hiring “as many developers as ever”, he said, debunking the notion that jobs are being replaced by AI.
He explained that the job cuts were not due to reduced demand but due to restructuring. Despite layoffs of some managers in AWS, the company is still recruiting technical talent. It plans to hire thousands of engineers to build its technology.
AI is changing jobs, not eliminating them
On concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence, Garman explained that AI is not taking over jobs but changing them. He said AI is taking on tasks such as code debugging, writing simple code and workflow management.
This enables developers to take on more challenging tasks like designing and architecting systems. “The jobs will be a little bit different,” said Garman, as being able to understand the technology is more important than writing short bits of code.
Faster development, same need for talent
Garman also cited internal Amazon examples of how AI is boosting productivity. Tasks that once took weeks are now completed in minutes. For example, a two-year project was completed in two quarters.
He emphasised that AI is speeding up the development process, not shrinking teams. As these tools become more sophisticated, Amazon needs more engineers to develop, deploy and manage these systems.
The takeaway from Amazon is that AI is changing the role of tech workers but not removing the need for those developers – at least not in the near term.