Latest news with #Kiro
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Big Tech is vibe coding with these winning AI startups
It's getting clearer who the winners will be in key parts of the generative AI race, according to Elad Gil, a top startup investor. "In coding, it seems like it's consolidated into 2 or 3 players," he said recently on my favorite AI podcast, " No Priors." He highlighted Cursor, Codium (now called Qodo), Cognition AI (the startup behind Devin), and Microsoft's GitHub Copilot. A clear sign of progress in the tech industry is when a giant platform decides to use an outside service rather than its own product. Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others have thousands of engineers who can whip up new tech pretty well. So it's a major signal when these companies decide that, no, their home-grown stuff may not be enough. This is happening with Cursor, an AI coding tool from startup Anysphere. Amazon is working on making this available to its employees, according to a scoop this week from Business Insider's Eugene Kim. Amazon already has its own AI coding assistant, Q, and is developing a more advanced tool codenamed " Kiro." So this is a notable move for a company that had warned employees about using third-party AI tools. Google has its own internal AI coding tools, too. And yet, CEO Sundar Pichai said this week he's been messing around with Cursor and a similar service called Replit, building a custom webpage for himself. Software engineering is evolving from a specialized skill into something that non-technical folks can try. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang likes to say that everyone is a programmer now. Instead of learning complex coding languages, we can create digital things using plain English. Still, some AI coding tools require more expertise than others. Cursor is an IDE, or integrated developer environment, a common setup for pro software engineers. Replit and another coding tool called work in a browser and are considered more user-friendly for novices. Pichai made the distinction this week, saying he uses Cursor, and has "vibe coded with Replit." Vibe coding is a hot new phrase for some of these easier-to-use tools. A good rule of thumb: If you didn't know what IDE stands for, you probably aren't ready for Cursor! Here are more tips.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Why Amazon may ditch its own AI coding assistant for Cursor that CEO Andy Jassy says is behind explosion of coding agents
FILE - An Amazon company logo marks the facade of a building, March 18, 2022, in Schoenefeld near Berlin. AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File) Amazon is in advanced talks to roll out the popular AI coding assistant Cursor across its workforce, responding to growing internal pressure from employees seeking access to the development tool, according to internal company communications reviewed by Business Insider. An Amazon HR manager overseeing artificial intelligence adoption told staff via Slack that the company is working "asap" to formally adopt Cursor, though deployment hinges on resolving "a few high priority security issues" to meet Amazon's stringent security requirements. The potential deal represents a significant shift for Amazon, which typically discourages employees from using external AI tools when the company offers competing products. Amazon already provides its own AI coding assistant called Q and maintains an internal AI chatbot named "Cedric." Internal pressure mounts as 1,500 workers join cursor channel by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The discussions emerged after several Amazon employees actively lobbied for Cursor access through internal channels. A dedicated Slack channel for Cursor enthusiasts has attracted approximately 1,500 Amazon participants, demonstrating substantial employee interest in the tool. Internal polling within the channel showed more than 60 Amazon employees preferred Cursor over competing tools like Windsurf, with only about 10 choosing the latter option. Employees praised Cursor's speed and user experience, with one noting that "Cursor changes are almost instantaneous, whereas Q dev still takes minutes to make a change." Cursor's $9B valuation signals competitive threat to Amazon's Q The timing coincides with Cursor's meteoric rise in the AI development space. Anysphere , Cursor's maker, recently secured $900 million in funding at a $9 billion valuation, representing a dramatic increase from its $2.4 billion December valuation, according to reports from the Financial Times and TechCrunch. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy acknowledged Cursor's market impact during last month's earnings call, citing the company as a key driver behind the "explosion of coding agents." The potential adoption comes as Amazon develops its own advanced AI coding tool, codenamed "Kiro," designed to compete directly with Cursor's capabilities. iQoo Z10 Review: 7300mAh battery packed in a slim design AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Amazon is likely to adopt a new AI coding tool, here is how employees are reacting
Amazon is considering officially adopting Cursor, a fast-growing AI coding assistant, after strong interest from its own employees. Internal messages reviewed by Business Insider reveal that many Amazon staffers have been asking about using Cursor at work. In response, a senior HR manager confirmed that the company is in discussions with Cursor's team and hopes to bring it in soon, though some security-related checks are still HR official mentioned that while Cursor must meet Amazon's strict safety standards, there is hope it will be approved for internal use. This is interesting because Amazon usually avoids third-party AI tools, especially when it already has its own options. For example, it currently offers its in-house assistant called Q, and is also working on a more advanced tool named Kiro. It also has another internal chatbot called this, many Amazon employees seem to prefer Cursor. In a Slack group dedicated to Cursor discussions, a poll showed more than 60 votes for Cursor, while only around 10 employees voted in favour of Windsurf, which is Amazon's internal tool. One employee even said it was surprising and 'cool' that Amazon is open to using a tool like Cursor, given that it already has similar in-house Cursor's popularity isn't just inside Amazon. The tool is made by a startup called Anysphere, which recently raised a massive $900 million in funding, pushing its valuation to $9 billion. The company counts major clients like Stripe, Shopify, and Instacart. Even Amazon CEO Andy Jassy mentioned Cursor during a recent earnings call, calling it an example of how AI tools are reshaping how developers to staffers in Amazon's Slack channel, Cursor stands out mainly because of its speed. One developer said changes with Cursor happen almost instantly, while Amazon's own Q takes several minutes to process the same kind of now, Amazon hasn't made any official announcement, but signs point to Cursor likely becoming a part of its internal tech tools, especially as employees continue to show strong support for it.
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Amazon is in talks to roll out AI coding assistant Cursor internally as employee interest spikes
Amazon staff demanded Cursor. They may be about to get it. According to internal Slack messages, reviewed by Business Insider, several Amazon employees inquired about using the AI coding assistant Cursor at work. In response, an HR manager wrote that Amazon is in talks with Cursor's team to formally adopt the popular development tool "asap." The HR manager added that the two companies are addressing "a few high priority security issues" before deploying Cursor's AI tool. "It all depends on whether we can make it work in line with our high security bar," the HR manager wrote, referring to Cursor's deployment. "But yes, I'm optimistic this could become a reality at Amazon." The size of the deal is unclear, but the HR manager is part of Amazon's global HR team overseeing "genAI adoption," according to this person's LinkedIn profile. The Slack channel, dedicated to Cursor users, is open to anyone working at Amazon and has about 1,500 participants. Cursor's potential adoption at Amazon is notable, as the tech giant often urges employees to be cautious when using outside AI tools, particularly when Amazon has a competing product. In some cases, Amazon has banned the use to certain third-party AI tools at work. The tech giant already offers its own AI coding assistant, Q, and has an internal AI chatbot called " Cedric." Amazon is also developing a more advanced AI coding tool, codenamed " Kiro," which could rival Cursor, BI previously reported. At least one employee appeared surprised by the potential Cursor deal. "Very cool that Amazon isn't scared to let us use it when we have multiple internal competitors," this person wrote in Slack. Cursor versus Windsurf and Q The Amazon deal also reflects Cursor's rapid emergence as one of the most popular AI coding tools. Anysphere, the maker of Cursor, raised $900 million at a $9 billion valuation last month, the Financial Times reported. The startup was worth $2.4 billion in December, according to TechCrunch. The company lists Stripe, Instacart, and Shopify as customers. Even Amazon CEO Andy Jassy took notice. During last month's earnings call, Jassy mentioned Cursor, an AWS cloud customer, as a key driver behind the "explosion of coding agents." In the Slack channel, which was created for those interested in Cursor, an internal poll showed that more than 60 Amazon employees favored Cursor over Windsurf, while just over 10 chose Windsurf. OpenAI recently agreed to acquire Windsurf for $3 billion. "I'm sure once we've Cursor at Amazon, people will not pay much attention to Windsurf or other IDEs," the HR manager wrote in Slack, referring to Integrated Development Environments, a common type of software that helps engineers write code more efficiently. Several employees said they liked Cursor's speed and ease of use, according to Slack messages. One of them wrote that Cursor is "so much faster" than Amazon's own AI coding assistant Q. "Cursor changes are almost instantaneous, whereas Q dev still takes minutes to make a change," the person wrote.
Business Insider
11-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Big Tech's AI-powered message to staff: Do more with less
Welcome back to our Sunday edition, where we round up some of our top stories and take you inside our newsroom. Happy Mother's Day to anyone celebrating today. I'm Alistair Barr. I'm subbing in this week to get some practice ahead of Tech Memo, a BI newsletter launching very soon. It's a weekly inside look at Big Tech — what you need to know, what it's like to work in Silicon Valley, and how to get ahead. I'm paying for two kids in college right now, so do me a solid and sign up here! The ugly truth about America's homebuying outlook. Tesla's robotaxi will compete with Waymo in Austin. Here's how the two companies compare. Rich Americans are keeping the country from sliding into a recession. Berkshire Hathaway shareholders told BI what they thought of a future without Warren Buffett. But first: Working in Big Tech is changing radically. If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Business Insider's app here. This week's dispatch Wanted: Fewer, better employees doing more with less For decades, Silicon Valley has suffered from a shortage of technical talent. This place is a software-production engine, and smart, young, hungry engineers have been its main fuel source. They work night and day, churning out code for websites, apps, search engines, social networks, and more. The companies that won recruited and retained the best talent. The result was a race to lavish employees with juicy salaries and huge stock awards. Perks were plenty: free massages, laundry service, and delicious food served on cushy campuses. Like all powerful trends, though, this is ending. Don't get me wrong. Tech companies are still hiring a lot of software engineers, and compensation is holding up so far. But the intensity, borne out of this talent supply-demand mismatch, is waning. The COVID-era tech hiring boom is partially to blame. Companies want fewer, better employees now. Generative AI is another big factor. Turns out, AI models are really good at writing and checking software code, changing the power dynamic between Big Tech and employees. It's the topic of a story by BI reporters Eugene Kim and Hugh Langley. David Sacks, a venture capitalist who advises the White House on AI, puts it well. "The ramifications of moving from a world of code scarcity to code abundance are profound," he wrote on X recently. There'll be A LOT more code, and way more software products that are updated and improved quicker, changing how developers work. Eugene's exclusive on Amazon's secret AI coding project, called Kiro, is a good example. "With Kiro, developers read less but comprehend more, code less but build more, and review less but release more," the company wrote in an internal document. Here's another, more disruptive, potential outcome: Everyone can become a developer. In the past, if you wanted something technical done, you had to ask your well-paid, overworked engineering colleagues for help. Now, with AI tools, maybe you can do some of this yourself. Cursor, Vercel, Replit, and are just a few of the new low- or zero-code AI-powered services that help users solve problems with plain English instructions. All of that means the pool of available developers is likely to grow massively, and Big Tech companies will have to do a lot less talent-chasing. Is now a good time to buy a house? It's not a simple "yes" or "no." Recent economic uncertainty and steep prices have tainted the housing market for buyers. But they also have more options — and bargaining power. In BI's second installment of its six-part series on making major life decisions, senior real estate reporter James Rodriguez broke it all down. You're in for a reality check if you want to job-hop right now It's a chaotic world right now. Here's why that makes it the ideal time to start a business. The battle of the robotaxis Tesla plans to launch its robotaxi service in Austin this June, stepping on Waymo's turf. But the two companies' approaches to driverless vehicles are pretty different. BI compared their tech and business strategies to understand how each will gain ground. One company stands out as more autonomous. Taking it to the streets. Also read: Texas is on the verge of handing Tesla and other big businesses a major win Uber CEO says the Waymo robotaxis on its app in Austin are busier than 99% of human drivers Rich to the rescue Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI Lower- and middle-income people have scaled back spending, but the wealthy haven't. Love 'em or hate 'em, rich people are propping up the US economy right now. However, there are risks to having the economy depend on a small group of people. If things go south for the wealthy, they'll take everyone else with them. It's time to start rooting for the rich. A Buffett-less future Warren Buffett shocked investors at Berkshire Hathaway's "Woodstock for Capitalists" last weekend by announcing his retirement from the company. A BI reporter asked Buffett fans what they thought of the news. There were some tears, and plenty of anxiety about Berkshire's future. " Still processing." I spent 8 hours in the cold to see Warren Buffett speak. I witnessed his retirement bombshell — and met Tim Cook and Hillary Clinton. Warren Buffett delivered a masterclass in succession planning — and a lesson in high drama This week's quote: "People are increasingly grumpy because they can't change jobs." — Guy Berger, the director of economic research at the Burning Glass Institute, on Americans feeling stuck at the jobs they want to leave. More of this week's top reads: We went to Milken, where the rich were worrying in public — and partying in private. Apple's comments on Search gave investors one reason to worry about Google's future. Here's another. For Instagram creators, getting likes is no longer enough. A once-niche market for secondhand stakes in private funds is booming. What it's like to work in secondaries. The freeloader era of streaming is over. Epic Games' CEO says fighting Apple cost his company more than $1 billion. He says it was worth it. A Tesla worker knew his anti-Elon Musk website was a risk. He did it anyway. Hollywood's biggest winners and losers from Trump's potential movie tariffs. The BI Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Grace Lett, editor, in Chicago. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Elizabeth Casolo, fellow, in Chicago.
