"Like an Assembly Line": Amazon Engineers Feel Squeezed by AI-Driven Workflow
- Amazon software engineers in New York face rising pressure in 2024 as AI tools like Copilot become central to their coding tasks amid higher output goals and tighter deadlines.
- This shift follows widespread AI adoption in coding, supported by studies showing Copilot increases programmer output over 25%, although concerns about job quality and potential layoffs persist.
- Amazon has reduced some teams by about half while expecting similar code volume through AI assistance, with engineers reporting less time for reflective work and faster, more routine coding processes.
- CEO Andy Jassy stated AI saved Amazon the equivalent of 4,500 developer-years and produced $260 million in annual efficiency gains, but workers say AI-driven speed causes stress and career uncertainty.
- These developments suggest AI is reshaping software engineering norms, raising questions about work quality and career paths while companies continue emphasizing AI as a productivity tool.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Since the industrial revolution, if not before, workers have been concerned about being replaced by machines. But when technology transformed automobile manufacturing, meat packaging and even secretarial work, the common reaction was not to cut jobs and reduce the number of workers. It was to “degrade” jobs, dividing them into simpler tasks that could be repeated at great speed. The small workshops of specialized mechanics gave way to hundreds o…
At Amazon, some coders say their jobs have begun to resemble warehouse work
Since at least the industrial revolution, workers have worried that machines would replace them. But when technology transformed automaking, meatpacking and even secretarial work, the response typically wasn’t to slash...
Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Shopify Are Racing To Integrate AI, Now Engineers Say They're Working Faster With Less Thinking Time — And More Pressure Than Ever - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)
As Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Shopify accelerate AI adoption, engineers report increased productivity but also rising pressure, faster workflows, and less time for deep thinking—prompting concerns that coding is starting to resemble assembly-line work.
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