Amazon engineering lead: where AI doesn't fit should be documented, not treated as failure
What happened
On 28 October 2026, Amazon's engineering leadership published an update on the developer's role in the AI era. In the update, engineering lead Terk Terkowitz said that if current AI tools are not helpful for a piece of work, that is itself a finding, not a failure. He suggested engineers document why AI does not apply, share it with peer communities and feed it back to managers to find solutions together; engineers who can clearly explain where AI cannot yet help with work are demonstrating the judgement required, he said.
Written by AI from the reports · updated 2 h ago
Timeline
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- Simon WillisonQuoting Terk Terkowitz
In an update from Amazon engineering leadership on the developer's role in the age of AI, Terk Terkowitz says that if current AI tooling does not benefit your work, that is a finding, not a failing. He advises documenting why, sharing it with your community of peers, bringing it to your manager and working to find solutions, and says an engineer who can explain where AI does not yet help their work is demonstrating the judgement being asked for.
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