Amazon is hiring 11,000 interns this year but what it takes to land a spot at the tech company has shifted due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman has listed three of the main qualities that the company is looking for in candidates. He also pointed out that what makes freshers important in the company is because the type to attributes they bring to the table.Rather than focusing solely on a candidate’s current coding abilities or existing technical skills, Garman revealed that as AI tools handle more routine technical tasks, Amazon is searching for three core traits in its next generation of workers: adaptability, curiosity and the ability to learn quickly, reported Fortune.“One of the things we start to look for in employees is not the skill set you have, but do you have the ability to learn? Do you have the willingness to dive in and learn new things and the agility to reason about problems?” Garman stated.
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Garman explained that workers who embrace this growth mindset will thrive in an AI-driven economy, and at the same time, provide massive advantages to the companies that hire them. Beyond being a highly cost-effective talent pool for entry-level positions, Garman noted that younger workers possess unique advantages over seasoned corporate veterans.First, they enter the workforce as a blank slate, making it easier to teach them company culture and train them on brand-new AI software. The second important thing is that they bring a natural energy and a new view on old corporate problems. Thirdly, they are highly agile and eager to lean into uncharted business territories.“If you just have the exact same people that you’ve had for the last 15 years, you don’t get that energy and excitement and new ideas,” Garman added, emphasising that fresh talent is what allows tech companies to move fast, build new businesses, and lower operational costs.In an official statement, Amazon reaffirmed to the publication that it “remains committed to our internship program as an important pathway to finding the next generation of leaders and builders.” Proving this point, the company actually employs more software developers today than it did two years ago, even as automated AI coding assistants have become dramatically more advanced, the report said.At the close of 2025, Amazon’s massive global footprint included roughly 1.58 million full- and part-time workers, with approximately 350,000 filling corporate roles. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has previously acknowledged that AI-driven efficiency gains will shrink certain sectors of the company’s corporate hierarchy.
