“That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.”
That’s the AWS CEO talking about companies replacing junior employees with AI.
Matt Garman runs Amazon’s cloud division, one of the biggest AI infrastructure providers in the world. If anyone should be cheerleading AI replacing junior employees, you’d think it would be him. Instead, he’s warning that the approach “explodes on itself.”
The quick answer: Garman argues that junior employees are usually the cheapest workers, the most adaptable to new technology, and the pipeline for future leadership. Cut them, and you’re saving the least money while destroying your company’s future. His advice to workers: expect your job to change, but focus on adapting with AI rather than fearing replacement.
If you’re early in your career and worried about AI taking your job, here’s what one of the most powerful people in tech actually thinks.
Why AI Replacing Junior Employees Is a Bad Business Move
Garman recounted a conversation that clearly frustrated him: “I was at a group, a leadership group, and people were telling me they’re like, we think that with AI we can replace all of our junior people in our company. I was like, that’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.”
His reasoning is practical, not sentimental. Entry-level employees are typically the cheapest to employ. Cutting them first while keeping expensive senior staff makes no financial sense. But there’s a bigger problem with the math.
“If you don’t hire entry-level employees, then you don’t have people to grow in your company over time,” he explained. “How do you get your next generation of managers, directors, and executives if you didn’t ever hire the entry-level folks?”
Why This Matters for Everyone’s Career
Garman isn’t saying AI won’t change jobs. He’s very clear that it will: “Your job is going to change. There’s no two ways about it.” He even predicts that writing code in languages like Java might not be a human job in two or three years because AI tools will handle it.
But there’s a difference between jobs transforming and jobs disappearing. “I think AI has the potential to transform every single industry, every single company, and every single job,” Garman said. “But it doesn’t mean they go away. It has transformed them, not replaced them.”
The irony is that junior employees are often the ones best positioned to benefit from AI. They’re typically more comfortable with new technology, more willing to experiment, and more engaged with AI tools in their daily work. Cutting them means losing the people who could help your company adapt fastest.
The Talent Pipeline Problem
Garman’s “explodes on itself” warning is about what happens five or ten years down the road. Companies that stop hiring junior employees today won’t have experienced mid-level employees in five years. They won’t have senior leaders in ten.
“If you have no talent pipeline that you’re building and no junior people that you’re mentoring and bringing up through the company, we often find that that’s where we get some of the best ideas,” he noted.
This isn’t just about warm feelings. Fresh perspectives from people who haven’t “always done it this way” often drive innovation. Companies that eliminate their entry-level positions are betting they can always hire experienced workers from competitors. But if every company makes that bet, where do experienced workers come from?
What This Means If You’re Early in Your Career
If you’re a recent graduate or early-career professional worried about AI taking your job, Garman’s perspective offers some reassurance, at least from one major tech leader. The smart companies aren’t looking to replace you. They’re looking to help you work differently.
His advice to AWS employees applies broadly: expect your job to change, but focus on adapting rather than fearing replacement. The employees who learn to work with AI tools effectively will be more valuable, not less.
That said, Garman’s words don’t guarantee anything. Amazon itself has conducted significant layoffs in 2025, though leadership attributes these to efficiency and organizational factors rather than AI displacement specifically. The gap between executive philosophy and company actions is worth watching.
The Contradiction Worth Noting
It’s fair to point out that Amazon and AWS aren’t exactly models of job security. The company has laid off tens of thousands of workers over the past few years. So when Garman criticizes other companies for replacing junior staff with AI, some skepticism is warranted.
Still, his logic stands on its own merits. Whether or not Amazon practices what he preaches, the argument that eliminating entry-level positions destroys your future leadership pipeline makes sense. And his point that junior employees are often the cheapest and most AI-adaptable is hard to argue with.
The tech industry is still figuring out how AI changes workforce planning. Garman’s comments suggest at least some leaders are thinking beyond the immediate cost savings to the long-term consequences.
Common Questions About AI Replacing Junior Employees
Are companies actually replacing junior employees with AI?
Some are, or at least considering it. Garman’s comments came in response to business leaders telling him directly that they planned to replace all their junior staff with AI. It’s a real trend, even if it’s not universal.
Will AI eliminate entry-level coding jobs?
Garman thinks the actual writing of code in languages like Java will increasingly be done by AI tools within a few years. But that doesn’t mean developer jobs disappear. It means they shift toward problem decomposition, system design, and working with AI tools rather than typing out every line manually.
What should young professionals do to stay relevant?
Learn to work with AI tools, not against them. The employees who figure out how to be more productive with AI assistance will be valued. Those who ignore AI or resist using it may find themselves less competitive. We’ve covered practical ways to use AI for career tasks like resume customization and interview practice.
Is this just one CEO’s opinion?
Yes and no. Garman runs AWS, one of the most important AI infrastructure providers in the world. His view carries weight. But other tech leaders have different perspectives, and company actions don’t always match executive statements. The debate over AI and employment is far from settled.
The CEO of one of the world’s biggest cloud computing companies is warning that AI replacing junior employees is short-sighted and self-destructive. Whether companies listen is another question. But if you’re early in your career, his message is clear: the smart companies still want you. They just want you to grow alongside AI, not get replaced by it.
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