“Juniors are not going anywhere.” That was the message from Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), who sharply criticized the idea of replacing entry-level developers with artificial intelligence.

“Organizations planning to substitute junior developers with AI? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said.

Garman addressed the issue in response to recent claims that AI is already driving mass layoffs across industries, particularly among junior staff whose tasks are seen as easily automated.

AWS, one of the world’s largest and most influential cloud platforms, employs about 50,000 people globally and provides services including data storage, virtual servers, analytics, and cybersecurity.

His remarks echo recent comments by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, who also rejected the notion of AI-driven downsizing.

They stand in contrast to statements by Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic—an AI company heavily backed by Amazon—who has warned that AI could eliminate up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs within one to four years.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has voiced similar concerns, stating that some jobs will disappear entirely.

In a podcast interview, Garman argued that junior developers are critical to the long-term talent pipeline.

“They’re probably the least expensive employees in the company, and they’re the ones leaning most heavily on AI tools,” he said.

“From juniors comes the next generation of managers, directors, and senior leaders. Undermining that layer undermines the company itself.”

He added: “If in ten years you don’t have anyone who’s learned anything, nothing will work. We absolutely want to continue hiring young people out of college and teaching them how to build software, break down problems, and think through them—just as we always have.”

According to Garman, “there has never been a more exciting time to be in technology.” He stressed that AI’s true benefit lies in automating repetitive tasks, freeing employees to focus on creative and engaging work.

At AWS, around 80% of developers already use AI tools in some capacity, from code generation to documentation, and usage continues to grow.

Other industry leaders share his perspective.

Nvidia’s Huang insists AI will create more jobs than it destroys, arguing that “you won’t lose your job to AI, but you may lose it to someone using AI.” Cisco’s Robbins has said his company does not use AI for workforce cuts, but rather to increase productivity and innovation.

Still, examples of workforce reductions tied to AI exist.

In 2023, U.S. firm IgniteTech dismissed nearly 80% of its employees after management claimed they refused to adopt the technology.

Cybersecurity company CrowdStrike cut 5% of its staff, with CEO George Kurtz noting that “AI is reshaping every industry.” Microsoft announced the elimination of roughly 16,000 jobs, citing efficiency gains from AI, while Google has also linked restructuring to AI adoption.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently disclosed that more than a quarter of the company’s internal source code is now AI-generated, a figure echoed by Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Garman dismissed such statistics as misleading.

“People boast about how many lines of code AI has written. Measuring lines of code has never been the right metric. Code can be poor, and often fewer lines are far better than excess. I never understand why this is the exciting measure people like to highlight.”