Amazon plans to hire 11,000 interns and recent graduates this year, even as fears intensify that artificial intelligence could significantly reduce opportunities for entry-level workers.
The hiring plans were revealed by Matt Garman, Chief Executive Officer of Amazon Web Services (AWS), during an interview with technology journalist Casey Newton published by Platformer. The comments come amid a growing debate over whether AI will erode opportunities for young professionals entering the workforce.
Garman rejected the view that companies can build sustainable businesses without investing in junior talent, describing the idea of replacing early-career employees with AI as fundamentally flawed.
Hiring plans emerge amid growing AI anxiety
The remarks arrive at a time when many technology leaders are warning that AI could reshape white-collar work at unprecedented speed.
During the interview, Garman responded to predictions made by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has previously suggested AI could eliminate up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years.
Garman disagreed with that assessment.
According to the AWS chief, there is a crucial distinction between jobs being eliminated and jobs being transformed.
He compared AI's impact to earlier technological shifts, noting that tools such as spreadsheets changed the nature of work rather than ending employment altogether. Employees adapted, learned new skills and continued working in different capacities, he said.
Why Amazon continues to invest in junior talent
Garman said Amazon's decision to hire thousands of interns and graduates reflects the company's belief that early-career employees remain essential to long-term growth.
According to him, younger employees often bring fresh perspectives, adaptability and a willingness to embrace new technologies.
Key points highlighted by Garman include:
- Amazon plans to hire 11,000 interns and new graduates in 2026
- Entry-level employees are often more adaptable to emerging technologies
- Organisations need a pipeline of future talent to sustain growth
- Learning agility is becoming increasingly important in an AI-driven workplace
- New technologies typically create new categories of work alongside disruption
Garman suggested employers may increasingly prioritise an individual's ability to learn and adapt over mastery of a specific technical skillset.
"We start to look for employees not based only on what skill set they have, but whether they have the ability to learn," he said during the interview.
A different view of AI's impact on work
The comments are notable because they come from the leader of one of the companies helping build the infrastructure underpinning the global AI boom.
AWS is a major provider of cloud computing services and AI infrastructure. According to Platformer, the business generates roughly $130 billion in annual revenue and is investing heavily in AI-related capabilities. The report noted Amazon expects to spend approximately $200 billion on capital expenditure this year, much of it linked to AI infrastructure.
At the same time, Amazon is developing AI tools capable of performing tasks traditionally carried out by knowledge workers.
These include:
- AI coding assistants
- AI-powered security tools
- Agent-based workplace productivity software
- AI recruitment tools capable of scheduling and conducting candidate interviews
Despite those developments, Garman maintained that automation should be viewed as a means of shifting employees towards higher-value work rather than eliminating the need for people altogether.
Software engineering already looks different
Garman also offered insight into how AI is changing one of the most heavily discussed professions: software development.
According to him, many developers are already spending less time writing code directly and more time overseeing AI systems, reviewing outputs, designing products and solving business problems.
He said software engineers are becoming more productive as AI tools take on repetitive coding tasks, although human expertise remains essential for architecture, customer experience and decision-making.
The transition, he suggested, mirrors earlier technology shifts, including the rise of cloud computing.
Garman believes AI adoption is likely to move much faster than the cloud transformation because organisations already possess the digital infrastructure needed to deploy new AI capabilities at scale.
The debate over jobs is far from settled
Amazon's hiring plans stand in contrast to broader concerns about workforce disruption.
The company has reduced parts of its corporate workforce in recent years, while CEO Andy Jassy has previously acknowledged AI could reduce the size of certain corporate functions over time, according to Platformer.
Yet Garman's comments suggest a more nuanced view is emerging among some technology leaders.
Rather than focusing solely on jobs that may disappear, attention is increasingly shifting towards how work itself will evolve and what skills employees will need to remain relevant.
For graduates entering the labour market, the message is clear: technical skills will matter, but the ability to learn, adapt and work alongside AI may become even more valuable in the years ahead.
New leaders, fresh capital, workforce shifts and unfiltered conversations — the story of work unfolds here.