Amazon VP Cracks Code with AI After 25-Year Hiatus, Boosting Employee Creativity

Beth Galetti, senior vice president of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, recently took up coding again after a 25-year hiatus. She started with a family calendaring app using AI tools, which gave her the confidence to build more complex projects.

Galetti's experience led to an internal team competition called 'Everyone Can Build,' where over 1,500 employees created apps and tools using AI without needing technical backgrounds. One employee built an app that automated a four-hour process into a one-second check, saving tens of thousands of hours annually.

Amazon is investing $2.5 billion to prepare at least 50 million people for the future of work through its Future Ready 2030 initiative. This includes providing education and skills training, as well as free AI training for all employees. Amazon covers the full cost of one AWS AI certification exam per year.

Galetti believes that giving people the tools to build will surprise them with what they create. She's excited to see what employees will build next using AI tools like Kiro and Quick, which help non-technical employees work smarter.