AWS CEO Matt Garman: Critical thinking, not coding, will define careers in the AI era
Amazon Web Services CEO says adaptability, creativity, and communication are the ‘people skills’ that matter most as AI reshapes work
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As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms workplaces, Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman believes the most important skill for future success isn’t coding or data science, but critical thinking.
In recent interviews with CNBC and TIME, Garman said that while AI is automating many technical tasks, the human edge will come from soft skills such as problem-solving, adaptability, and communication.
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“It’s less about the development of skills and it really is [about] how do you become a critical thinker?” Garman said.
He added that he has advised his own teenage child to focus on developing critical thinking during college, regardless of academic major.
“I think part of going to college is building (your) critical thinking,” Garman said. “It’s less about the development of skills and it really is (about) how do you become a critical thinker? In some ways, I think that’s actually going to be the most important skill going forward."
Alongside analytical ability, Garman highlighted the importance of creativity, flexibility, and people skills.
“Most customers still want to talk to a person and get personal insights and attention from a human being,” he said, stressing that communication and adaptability will remain “super important for a long time.”
Garman’s comments come amid growing debate about how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of work. While early fears centered on job losses due to automation, industry leaders increasingly argue that AI will create demand for a new set of human-centric skills.
According to a 2024 World Economic Forum report, analytical thinking, curiosity, and resilience are among the top skills employers will seek in the next five years, even as AI tools proliferate across industries. Similarly, LinkedIn’s 2025 Future of Work survey showed that communication, collaboration, and adaptability are ranking higher than pure technical know-how in hiring priorities.
AWS, the world’s largest cloud services provider, is deeply invested in AI, powering tools for businesses to build and deploy machine learning models. Yet its CEO’s emphasis suggests that even in the heart of the tech industry, the most valued qualities may not be technical expertise alone but the human ability to think critically and connect meaningfully.
