Matt Garman, the CEO of Amazon Web Services, recently spoke with reporters at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, expressing his support for the company’s plan to bring workers back to the office on a full-time basis. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the company’s culture of innovation and how working in person is crucial for fostering creativity and collaboration. Garman also aligned himself with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s goal of running Amazon like the world’s largest startup, emphasizing the importance of eliminating bureaucracy and empowering team members to take ownership and make decisions.
Garman highlighted the role of culture in maintaining Amazon’s pace of innovation, noting that it can be difficult to communicate and teach this aspect of the company to new employees over video calls. The move to bring employees back to the office has sparked some backlash from employees, sparking a debate on the value of remote work and productivity. However, Garman emphasized the benefits of working in person, particularly when it comes to fostering a sense of ownership and scrappiness among team members. He pointed to the startups participating in the AWS accelerator as examples of how innovation can happen in real time through collaboration and whiteboard sessions.
In addition to discussing Amazon’s return to the office, Garman touched on the generative AI boom and its impact on AWS. He noted that there is a significant opportunity in the space, with many startups built on AWS or utilizing AWS for parts of their infrastructure. While AWS faces stiff competition in the AI space, Garman is optimistic about the potential for growth and innovation.
Garman highlighted the shift in conversations with enterprise customers around generative AI, noting that companies are now focusing on how they can adopt AI tools within their existing infrastructure. This includes considerations around security, data privacy, and the transition from proof-of-concept to production. AWS is investing $230 million in generative AI startups, including funding for the accelerator, as part of its strategy to stay at the forefront of innovation and provide cutting-edge technologies to its customers.
Overall, Garman’s discussion with reporters shed light on Amazon’s approach to maintaining a culture of innovation, the opportunities and challenges in the generative AI space, and the importance of working in person to foster collaboration and creativity. By aligning himself with Jassy’s vision of running Amazon like a startup, Garman emphasized the need for agility, ownership, and a focus on driving innovation across the company. With investments in generative AI startups and a commitment to supporting innovation, AWS is poised to continue its growth and leadership in the cloud computing space.
