Amazon Web Services (AWS) is stepping up the pressure on its teams to deliver products faster, as competition in cloud computing and artificial intelligence intensifies. In an internal meeting ahead of AWS’s annual Reinvent conference, Chief Executive Matt Garman told staff that speed and execution are now critical for staying competitive and keeping customers engaged.

“Increasingly, we’re finding that when we launch innovative new things at Reinvent it’s valuable if we can actually launch them, as opposed to just pre-announce them,” Garman said, according to a transcript of the meeting reviewed by Reuters. “Customers want to be able to use our products when we talk about them, and we find that when we’re slow in coming out with products, you lose some of that buzz.”

The remarks come as AWS faces growing scrutiny over its AI strategy. Rivals like Microsoft and Google have been quick to roll out generative AI tools, while critics argue AWS has been comparatively slower. A Morgan Stanley analyst recently suggested the company is lagging its peers. In response, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has defended AWS, saying the industry is still in the early days of AI adoption and that there will be multiple winners in the long run.

Still, Garman’s message to staff was clear: execution matters as much as innovation. “The first and very most important thing we’ve got to do is make sure that we deliver on the roadmap that we have,” he said, urging teams to avoid delays and ensure customer expectations are met.

Reinvent, held each December in Las Vegas, is AWS’s flagship event and a launchpad for major cloud and AI products. Last year, the company introduced Nova, a suite of foundation models made available through Amazon Bedrock, enabling developers to build and scale generative AI applications. This year, Garman has signaled a shift in approach—less emphasis on hype and more focus on shipping products that customers can use immediately.

Customer presence will also play a central role at this year’s Reinvent. Garman underlined that attendance is non-negotiable, stressing that the event “is not interesting if customers aren’t there.” The company aims to at least match last year’s turnout of 60,000 in-person participants.

During the same meeting, Garman introduced a new internal product called Quick. The tool, currently in testing, is an agentic AI designed to execute tasks with minimal or no further prompting. Quick can scan documents and web pages, automate workflows, and improve productivity by reducing manual inputs. Employees will soon have early access to test the tool.

Following the Reuters report, an Amazon spokesperson downplayed the suggestion of internal scolding, describing the session instead as “an inspiring internal conversation where we encouraged the team to work hard to keep delivering meaningful value to customers at Reinvent, just as we do every year.”

As AWS prepares for its December event, all eyes are on whether the company can balance speed, reliability, and innovation—and prove it can keep pace with its rivals in the fast-moving cloud and AI space.