The CEO of AWS on why Amazon is hiring 11,000 interns and junior employees
AWS CEO Matt Garman discusses Amazon's decision to hire 11,000 interns and junior employees, emphasizing the company's commitment to investing in early-career talent and developing the next generation of technologists. He explains that while AI will automate certain tasks, it will also create new opportunities, and human skills like creativity and problem-solving remain crucial.
Background
- **AWS (Amazon Web Services)** is Amazon's cloud computing division, the largest provider of on-demand computing power and data storage globally. Its CEO is **Matt Garman**, who took over in mid-2024.
- The interview is set against a backdrop where **AI automation** is widely feared to eliminate entry-level tech jobs. Garman argues the opposite: AWS is hiring thousands of junior staff because **AI still needs humans to label data, verify outputs, and manage the systems that train and run AI models**.
- **Cloud computing and AI are capital-intensive businesses** — AWS's growth depends on building data centers and selling access to AI chips and models (like those from **Anthropic**, which Amazon has heavily invested in). The hiring signals a bet that demand for AI services will keep growing.
- The article matters because it offers a rare, high-level executive perspective on whether AI creates or destroys jobs, and how one of the world's most valuable companies is placing its bets on the next wave of tech talent.