Why Amazon may ditch its own AI coding assistant for Cursor that CEO Andy Jassy says is behind explosion of coding agents
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
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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.
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