Amazon Web Services CEO Predicts AI Will Transform Software Development

In Leaked Audio, Amazon Cloud CEO Says AI Will Soon Make Human Programmers a Thing of the Past

"Coding is just kind of like the language that we talk to computers. It's not necessarily the skill in and of itself." During a leaked "fireside chat," the head of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Matt Garman suggested that in as little as two years, human developers may need to learn different skills to make way for artificial intelligence coders. "If you go forward 24 months from now, or some amount of time -- I can't exactly predict where it is -- it's possible that most developers are not coding," he exclaimed in audio leaked to Business Insider. Just a month after overseeing hundreds of AWS job cuts in April, Garman was promoted to CEO. With that pedigree of rapid ascension amid layoffs, he seems perfectly poised to deliver that kind of pep talk to his assembled employees. "Coding is just kind of like the language that we talk to computers. It's not necessarily the skill in and of itself," the CEO said. "The skill in and of itself is like, how do I innovate? How do I go build something that's interesting for my end users to use?" "Being a developer in 2025 may be different than what it was as a developer in 2020," Garman added. While AWS insists that Garman wasn't issuing a "warning," his language still comes across as a little unsettling, highlighting the threats of job automation in the age of AI. Experts have long warned that the tech could soon start replacing programmers and software engineers in their entirety -- but how real this threat is or when we will really start feeling the effects remains uncertain. Though he doesn't seem to have explicitly named the algorithmic elephant in the room, it's pretty clear from the tenor of the conversation -- and the context surrounding everything related to job security in the tech world right now -- that Garman was talking about AI taking over the work of coding. "It just means that each of us has to get more in tune with what our customers need and what the actual end thing is that we're going to try to go build," Garman said, "because that's going to be more and more of what the work is as opposed to sitting down and actually writing code." In a statement to BI, an AWS spokesperson insisted Garman wasn't issuing a warning but was instead speaking on developers' opportunities to "accomplish more than they do today." "Matt articulated a vision for how AWS will continue to remove undifferentiated heavy lifting from the developer experience," the spox said, "so that builders can focus more of their skill and energy on the most innovative work." What that "innovative work" entails, however, remains to be seen.

Amazon Cloud CEO Predicts a Future Where Most Software Engineers Don't Code -- and AI Does It Instead

AI is shaking up industries -- and software engineering is no exception. In a leaked recording of a June fireside chat obtained by Business Insider, Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman reportedly told employees that AI is changing what being a software engineer means -- and essentially changes the job description. "If you go forward 24 months from now, or some amount of time -- I can't exactly predict where it is -- it's possible that most developers are not coding," Garman said, adding later that the developer role would look different next year compared to 2020. In the leaked chat, Garman said that innovation will replace coding, which means developers will have to think more about the end product. Related: How to Find the Right Programmers: A Brief Guideline for Startup Founders "It just means that each of us has to get more in tune with what our customers need and what the actual end thing is that we're going to try to go build because that's going to be more and more of what the work is as opposed to sitting down and actually writing code," he reportedly stated. AWS currently has about 130,000 employees, having laid off several hundred people in April in its sales, marketing, and global services divisions. Marco Argenti, the CIO of Goldman Sachs, expressed a similar sentiment in April -- technical skills alone were not enough to handle AI. To keep up with the technology, Agenti encouraged future engineers, including his own college-age daughter, to study philosophy in addition to engineering. Philosophy would give engineers the reasoning abilities and mental framework to keep up with AI, detect hallucinations, and challenge its output, according to Argenti.

Amazon software engineers may be forced to find jobs besides coding...

Amazon's software engineers could soon be forced to find responsibilities other than coding due to the rise of artificial intelligence, according to the company's cloud computing chief. Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman predicted the shift in daily responsibilities during a "fireside chat" with the unit's employees in June, leaked audio obtained by Business Insider revealed on Tuesday. "If you go forward 24 months from now, or some amount of time -- I can't exactly predict where it is -- it's possible that most developers are not coding," Garman reportedly told employees. The remarks came amid an ongoing cost-cutting push at Amazon, which has slashed hundreds of jobs within its cloud unit this year as well as various other segments of its business, including streaming services Twitch and Prime Video. The shift toward AI means job expectations for software developers will change, Garman added. It would allow workers to "continue to upskill and learn about new technologies" that will add to their skillset. "It just means that each of us has to get more in tune with what our customers need and what the actual end thing is that we're going to try to go build, because that's going to be more and more of what the work is as opposed to sitting down and actually writing code," he said. Amazon representatives did not immediately return a request for comment. A company spokesperson told Business Insider that Garman was detailing how AI would allow Amazon's developers to "accomplish more than they do today." Garman's comments were not a signal that their roles would be reduced, the spokesperson added. "Matt articulated a vision for how AWS will continue to remove undifferentiated heavy lifting from the developer experience so that builders can focus more of their skill and energy on the most innovative work," the spokesperson said in a statement. While proponents say AI will streamline work and eliminate unnecessary tasks, rapid advancements in the technology have stoked fears of major job losses. In January, the International Monetary Fund warned that AI could affect 60% of all jobs in the US and potentially worsen wealth inequality. In May 2023, AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman, who is currently CEO of Microsoft's in-house AI unit, warned that the technology would create a large number of "very unhappy" white-collar workers who will be forced out of their professions. "Unquestionably, many of the tasks in white-collar land will look very different in the next five to 10 years," Suleyman said during an event at the time. Elsewhere, Emad Mostaque, founder and CEO of Stability AI, predicted last year that there "will be no programmers in five years."