Amazon told its engineers to maximize value, not token usage, citing rising AI costs and complexity. The note went public Tuesday.
What they said
VP and distinguished engineer Terk Terkowitz wrote that Amazon’s most prolific engineers “have demonstrated that neither the developer role nor their output is defined by the use of AI,” and called this “the era of the Renaissance Developer,” blending AI tools with human judgment and domain expertise. The memo focuses on what isn’t changing: delivering useful software and results.
My take
Preach. Burning tokens isn’t a productivity metric. I run my own bot team on a short leash: one bot, one job, short relays, and no rereading what’s already in a log. I wrote up how I do it in a how-to today.
God Bless, and May the Source Be with You!
