Amazon software engineersare experiencing a dramatic shift in their work environment as the e-commerce giant pushes artificial intelligence adoption across its development teams, according to engineers who spoke with TheNew York Times. One Amazon engineer reported that his team was roughly half the size it had been last year, yet was expected to produce the same amount of code by leveraging AI tools.The change extends beyond team restructuring. Engineers say managers have become increasingly insistent on AI usage over the past year while raising output goals and tightening deadline enforcement. What once took weeks to develop now must frequently be completed within days, forcing developers to rely on AI assistance and reduce collaborative discussions with colleagues.”Building a feature for the website used to take a few weeks; now it must frequently be done within a few days,” one engineer told the Times, explaining that meeting these expectations is only possible through AI automation and reduced consultation time.

From assembly lines to code lines

The changes mirror historical workplace transformations during the industrial revolution, when technology didn’t eliminate jobs but instead “degraded” them into simpler, faster-paced tasks. Amazon CEOAndy Jassyrecently emphasized in his shareholder letter that generative AI was delivering significant returns through “productivity and cost avoidance,” stating that working faster was essential for competitive advantage.The company has actively encouraged AI adoption through internal hackathons focused on productivity tools, while other tech giants follow suit. Shopify announced that “AI usage is now a baseline expectation” and will include AI usage questions in performance reviews, whileGooglereported that over 30 percent of its code is now AI-suggested.

Engineers push back against the speed-up

Despite productivity gains, many Amazon engineers express concerns about work quality degradation. They describe feeling like “bystanders in their own jobs” as AI tools generate large code portions requiring extensive review rather than creative development.Several engineers have joined Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, which has become a forum for discussing AI-related workplace stress alongside environmental concerns. The group’s organizers report regular contact with hundreds of Amazon employees increasingly focused on career quality concerns.Amazonmaintains that collaboration and experimentation remain critical, positioning AI as augmentation rather than replacement of engineering expertise.