# Amazon warns engineers against excessive AI token use in new memo

Digest AI · Enterprise & Industry · published 2026-10-27T18:57:45Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/amazon-warns-engineers-against-excessive-ai-token-use-in-new-memo

## Summary

Amazon issued a memo to software engineers in September, later published on Tuesday, advising against ‘tokenmaxxing’—the practice of overusing AI tools without regard for cost or efficiency. The memo, part of broader AI integration under CEO Andy Jassy, acknowledges AI’s growing role in software development but warns that metrics like token usage or adoption rates are unreliable for measuring productivity or ROI. Instead, Amazon emphasizes long-term outcomes and ‘feature velocity’—measuring successful code launches and production changes—as better indicators of AI’s impact.

The memo follows Amazon’s shutdown of an internal leaderboard in May after employees manipulated token usage to inflate rankings. While the company has not imposed token caps, it urges engineers to use AI judiciously, even when it doesn’t improve workflows. Marc Brooker, a vice president at Amazon Web Services, told CNBC that the company prioritizes ‘return on investment’—focusing AI efforts on high-value problems rather than speculative tasks. The memo also frames skepticism about AI’s utility as a sign of good judgment.

## Key points

- Amazon’s memo discourages ‘tokenmaxxing’—excessive AI usage without cost or efficiency checks
- Company calls token usage and AI adoption metrics ‘deeply flawed’ for measuring productivity
- Amazon promotes ‘feature velocity’ and long-term outcomes over short-term AI tool adoption

## Why it matters

Amazon’s guidance reflects broader industry concerns about AI cost control and productivity measurement, influencing how engineering teams balance automation with efficiency.

## Sources

1. [Amazon's anti-tokenmaxxing memo says engineers should be pickier about using AI](https://cnbc.com/2026/10/27/amazon-ai-coding-tokenmaxxing.html) (CNBC Technology, 2026-10-27)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Amazon warns engineers against excessive AI token use in new memo", 27 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/amazon-warns-engineers-against-excessive-ai-token-use-in-new-memo

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