TechnologyUpdated 7 hr ago

Amazon memo sets AI usage guidelines for software engineers

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Amazon has issued guidelines for software engineers on using AI tools, in a memo circulated internally in September and posted to the company's website on Tuesday. The memo discourages engineers from running up AI usage to look productive, a practice known as “tokenmaxxing.” It also revises how Amazon defines the roles of software development engineers and managers. Business Insider reports that Amazon vice president Terk Terkowitz wrote that engineers should be judged by their impact on customers and the business, not by how much AI they use. Amazon says AI's effect on software engineering is only beginning.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

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The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

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Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

Amazon published AI usage guidelines for software engineers in a memo, circulated internally in September and posted to the company's website this week.
Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
Business Insider
Center
CNBC
Far Right
Breitbart News
The memo discourages engineers from running up AI usage to look productive, a practice known as “tokenmaxxing.”
Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
Business Insider
Center
CNBC
Far Right
Breitbart News
Terk Terkowitz, an Amazon vice president, wrote in the memo that engineers should be judged by their impact on customers and the business, not by how much they use AI.
One outletBusiness Insider· Left
The memo revises how Amazon defines the roles of software development engineers and managers.
Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Center
CNBC
Far Right
Breitbart News
Terkowitz wrote that AI is changing software development more quickly and fundamentally than earlier shifts such as cloud computing.
One outletBusiness Insider· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three outlets report that Amazon's memo discourages engineers from inflating AI usage to look productive. The center and right outlets frame it around the term “tokenmaxxing”, while the left emphasizes business outcomes and the “Renaissance Developer” idea.

the left
1 outlet
Business Insider headlines the memo as guidance on what matters for engineers, centering the “Renaissance Developer” idea and business results over AI usage.
Amazon tells software engineers what really matters as AI ushers in the era of the 'Renaissance Developer'
Business InsiderLeftAll left-leaning headlines
the center
1 outlet
CNBC headlines the memo as an anti-tokenmaxxing stance, telling readers engineers should be pickier about using AI.
Amazon's anti-tokenmaxxing memo says engineers should be pickier about using AI
CNBCCenterAll center headlines
the right
1 outlet
Breitbart News, the only right-side outlet, casts “tokenmaxxing” as the trouble and frames the memo as Amazon telling engineers to stop chasing AI usage metrics.
The Trouble with 'Tokenmaxxing': Amazon Tells Engineers to Stop Chasing AI Usage Metrics
Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Center0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Right1
huge usage bills

In the outlets’ own words

Sensational language
huge usage billsMore neutral: rising AI usage costs
The word “huge” adds emphasis without any figures given in the supplied text.
…as "tokenmaxxing," has been encouraged by tech giants, but now that they face huge usage bills, they seem to be cutting back.
Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

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See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

business outcomes over AI usage
“Renaissance Developer” framing
Terkowitz's call to embrace change

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

Business InsiderLeft
Amazon tells software engineers what really matters as AI ushers in the era of the 'Renaissance Developer'
Amazon's new software engineering guidelines warn against chasing AI usage metrics and emphasize business results over token consumption.
1 day agoRead at Business Insider (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

anti-tokenmaxxing stance
engineers being pickier about AI use
the memo's internal circulation and website posting

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

CNBCCenter
Amazon's anti-tokenmaxxing memo says engineers should be pickier about using AI
Amazon has rapidly integrated AI across the e-commerce giant's sprawling business operations under CEO Andy Jassy.
1 day agoRead at CNBC (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

tokenmaxxing as the problem
AI usage bills and cost pressure
pullback from heavy AI use

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

Breitbart NewsFar Right
The Trouble with 'Tokenmaxxing': Amazon Tells Engineers to Stop Chasing AI Usage Metrics
Amazon has told its software engineers to stop padding their AI usage just to look productive, according to an internal memo circulated in September and posted publicly on the company's website this week. …
7 hr agoRead at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
1 hr 22 min later
Its first report, Oct 27, 4:19 PM EDT
Center
First to report
CNBC, Oct 27, 2:57 PM EDT
Right
21 hr 58 min later
Its first report, Oct 28, 12:55 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

CNBCCenterOct 27, 2:57 PM EDT
Business InsiderLeftOct 27, 4:19 PM EDT
Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 28, 12:55 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Amazon memo sets AI usage guidelines for software engineers

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

Amazon tells software engineers what really matters as AI ushers in the era of the 'Renaissance Developer'

From the center

Amazon's anti-tokenmaxxing memo says engineers should be pickier about using AI

From the right

The Trouble with 'Tokenmaxxing': Amazon Tells Engineers to Stop Chasing AI Usage Metrics

How the coverage built up

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