Amazon is in talks to adopt the AI coding assistant Cursor, according to internal Slack messages obtained by Business Insider. Employees have pushed for the tool, and an HR manager states that discussions are ongoing to implement it "asap."
Security concerns are currently being addressed before the rollout. The HR manager is optimistic but emphasized the need to align with Amazon’s strict security standards.
The HR manager noted on Slack:
“It all depends on whether we can make it work in line with our high security bar. But yes, I’m optimistic this could become a reality at Amazon.”
The deal’s size remains unclear, but the Slack channel dedicated to Cursor has around 1,500 participants, showing significant interest. This potential adoption is a shift for Amazon, which often restricts third-party AI tools, especially those competing with its offerings, like Q.
Amazon also has an internal AI chatbot named Cedric, along with another coding tool in development, codenamed Kiro. Interestingly, one employee remarked on the surprising move, saying:
The employee expressed excitement:
“Very cool that Amazon isn’t scared to let us use it when we have multiple internal competitors.”
Cursor has gained traction recently; it raised $900 million at a $9 billion valuation just last month. Notably, CEO Andy Jassy referenced Cursor during an earnings call, highlighting its impact on coding efficiency.
In an internal poll, over 60 Amazon employees favored Cursor over Windsurf, which was recently acquired by OpenAI for $3 billion. A user noted that Cursor is significantly faster than Amazon’s Q:
The user mentioned:
“Cursor changes are almost instantaneous, whereas Q dev still takes minutes to make a change.”
As the tech giant navigates this possible integration, Employee sentiment suggests that Cursor could redefine coding practices at Amazon, signaling a notable shift in internal tool usage.
