Did Amazon Just Kill Cursor? I tried Kiro and Here is What I Learned
The way we code is shifting fast—and Amazon just raised the stakes with Kiro, its brand-new AI-powered IDE. As someone who's been watching the AI dev tools space heat up, Kiro immediately grabbed my attention.
Unlike most IDEs that jump straight to code, Kiro starts with structure. It begins by writing requirement documents, mapping out designs, and then assigning tasks for the AI to handle. It’s a workflow that feels a bit slower at first but ends up being a game-changer—especially if you're building something serious or working with a team.
It’s powered by Claude Sonnet 4.0, and though a few features like chat checkpoints are still in the works, Kiro’s vision is clear: make development smarter, more organised, and more collaborative. Think of it as your project manager and engineer rolled into one.
Yes, it’s early days—there are still performance hiccups and missing features—but Kira is free and already challenging players like Cursor, Windsor, and Copilot. Amazon’s move is strategic, and if Kiro delivers, it might just become the go-to IDE for the AI era.
If you’re a dev, here’s my advice:
Try Kira on a real project.
Start with specs and designs.
See how it changes your workflow.
Kiro may not be perfect yet, but it points to where software development is going. The future of coding isn’t just about writing lines of code—it’s about thinking clearly, planning smartly, and letting AI do the heavy lifting.