In Season 4, Episode 29, Karl and Jon are joined by AWS Community Builder and Ambassador Niklas Westerstråhle to discuss the AWS Free Tier overhaul, the new Cloud Operations Engineer certification, the launch of the Amazon CodeWhisperer (Kiro) AI assistant, and a security issue with misconfigured AWS Organizations policies. They wrap up with thoughts on the latest Amazon/AWS layoffs—and a fun debate over whether Niklas should keep wearing his gold AWS jacket after his certifications expire, like it's some kind of sacred relic that loses its powers.

04:15 - AWS Free Tier Overhaul

The AWS Free Tier has been significantly updated. New accounts now receive up to $200 in credits valid for 6 months instead of the previous 12-month free tier offerings. Users can earn additional credits by completing certain tasks. The new system aims to be more developer-friendly and reduce surprise bills. Accounts are automatically closed after 6 months unless upgraded to paid plans.

15:03 - New AWS Cloud Operations Engineer Certification

AWS is updating the SysOps Administrator certification to become the AWS Certified Cloud Ops Engineer. The exam will include new content on containers and other topics. Existing SysOps Administrator certificate holders will need to take the new exam to earn the Cloud Ops Engineer certification. The change has caused some debate about recertification requirements for those holding multiple AWS certifications.

28:58 - Amazon CodeWhisperer (Kiro) AI Coding Assistant

AWS launched Kiro, a new AI-powered coding assistant, currently in preview. It's based on Visual Studio Code and uses Anthropic's AI models. Kiro aims to assist with coding tasks and project setup. AWS is running a competition with $100,000 in prizes for developers to build applications using Kiro

28:23 - AWS Organizations Misconfigured Managed Policy

A security issue was discovered in the AmazonGuardDutyFullAccess managed policy, which could potentially allow attackers to gain full AWS organizational control. AWS has fixed the issue by creating a new version of the policy (with "_V2" appended). Users are advised to review and update their environments to use the new policy version.

34:15 - Amazon/AWS Layoffs

Reuters reported that AWS is cutting hundreds of jobs in its latest round of layoffs. The speakers discussed the scale of these layoffs in context of Amazon's overall workforce and debated the potential impact of AI on employment in the tech industry. They also critiqued the article's presentation of the information, noting that it seemed to conflate Amazon and AWS employee numbers.