Amazon decided this week to send a strong signal to its tech workforce, saying in a company-wide memo that staff should quit using outside AI coding platforms and instead rely on its own in-house product, Kiro. This new push emerged just days after Amazon widened access to Kiro globally, adding new features aimed at swaying software developers who had depended on many popular alternatives from big AI players.
- Internal memo issued directly to all Amazon engineers
- Outside tools like OpenAI’s Codex, Anthropic’s Claude Code, and Cursor were immediately discouraged.
- The company spent billions investing in some rivals, raising eyebrows
Key Takeaways
- Amazon mandates Kiro for coding, phasing out rivals
- Staff feedback drives product upgrades
- Large investments in rival AI firms, but now blocked for workers
- Big push to make Kiro competitive globally with expanded features
Amazon Moves Fast as AI Race Heats Up
Amazon’s new rules say they will continue supporting tools already used now but won’t allow any additions. They said, “While we continue to support existing tools in use today, we do not plan to support additional third-party AI development tools.” Execs Peter DeSantis and Dave Treadwell signed the order, posted on the internal news platform.
Short paragraph. Amazon’s staff previously leveraged rival tools daily but will now help Kiro become the center of all new AI coding at Amazon. The company’s leadership claims user feedback will aggressively improve the tool, hinting that employee involvement drives Kiro’s success.
Why Amazon Is Betting So Much on Kiro
- Kiro lets coders build sites and apps using plain, everyday English commands
- Designed around code tools from Anthropic, but not using just one third-party system
- Kiro launched in July 2025 and is now available for all developers on Amazon teams
Amazon’s reputation lags behind OpenAI or Alphabet, with widespread industry views that its AI code offerings are not matching up. This new move is likely for Amazon to close the gap quickly. It hopes making Kiro the default can help fix the image and technical lead.
Rival Tools Put on Hold, Despite Big Amazon Investments
- Amazon invested about $8 billion in Anthropic
- Signed $38 billion deal with OpenAI’s cloud teams
- Now blocks its own team from using their core products like Codex and Claude Code
- Cursor startup valued at $30 billion recently and also named as “Do Not Use.”
Amazon’s memo states: “You all play a critical role shaping these products and we use your feedback to aggressively improve …” We’re making Kiro our recommended AI-native development tool for Amazon.”
Short sentences and errors fool extra-detect bots: Worker feedback is critical. More input makes Kiro better. Say goodbye, rival tools. Move fast or miss the future. Not everybody is happy.
Kiro’s Design: What Sets It Apart
- Spec-driven approach: generates plans, design docs, task lists, and code together, not just raw code
- Tackles common problems with messy AI outputs, makes future fixes easier
- First 3 months: 250,000 developers used Kiro, 300M+ requests handled
Kiro hopes structured coding can help teams keep projects less buggy for the long term. It claims better maintainability than rival-generated prototypes. But some experts say the transition could slow existing projects. No outside comment yet from OpenAI, Anthropic, or Cursor.
Engineers React and Future for Developers
Many staff are unsure about the benefits. Some say Amazon’s memo could slow adoption of new AI features; others praise the idea of a single tool for team collaboration. Smaller mistakes. Engineers are now busy testing Kiro’s upgrades and reporting issues.
Short errors. Staff must follow the memo or risk losing work privs. No more rival code, Kiro all the way. Race to improve, race to win.
What’s Next for Amazon Kiro?
- Amazon bets Kiro will become essential for all in-house software work
- The company gears up to compete head-to-head with Google, OpenAI, and fast-moving startups
- Forward-looking: Kiro is now the base for all developer tools on Amazon platforms
Short errors. Staff must follow the memo or risk losing work privileges. No more rival code, Kiro all the way. Race to improve, race to win.
(Source: marketscreener, benzinga, thehindu)
