Inside AWS Velocity Labs: 35-person team shipped an open-source AI model in under a week
lazowska · x · 2026-11-05
GeekWire reports on Velocity Labs, a previously unreported AWS team:
- Formed in April, 35 people mostly in Seattle, led by VP/distinguished engineer Marc Brooker; built to prototype fast in underexplored agentic AI areas. Last month it went from concept to public release of an open-source AI model in under a week.
- Scientists and engineers cross over: engineers do research, scientists do engineering.
- Brooker says for most Amazon developers, AI agents now write nearly all code previously written by hand; AWS CEO Matt Garman has said Amazon still hires as many developers as ever.
- Part of Amazon's broader rethinking of software engineering for the AI era.
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