Amazon Cuts 16,000 Corporate Jobs Amid Broader Layoff Wave
Amazon announced about 16,000 corporate role cuts and will give U.S. staff 90 days to seek internal positions with transition support.
Overview
Amazon Inc. announced it will cut about 16,000 corporate roles in a second round of layoffs, Beth Galetti, senior vice president of People Experience and Technology, said in a blog post.
The reductions follow a 14,000-job round in October and raise Amazon's total cuts to roughly 30,000 in recent months, company filings and prior announcements show.
Beth Galetti said U.S.-based employees will have 90 days to seek internal roles and that those who do not find one will receive severance pay, outplacement services and health insurance benefits as applicable.
United Parcel Service said it plans to cut up to 30,000 operational jobs this year and close 24 facilities, the company announced.
CEO Andy Jassy warned in June that generative AI could reduce Amazon's corporate workforce in coming years, a prediction company leaders and some labor organizers have disputed.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame recent layoffs as driven by macroeconomic stress and corporate tech-driven restructuring, emphasizing tariffs, inflation, and AI spending. Editorial choices — loaded terms like "barrage", prioritizing high-profile firms, and excluding frontline worker voices — push a systemic, corporate-responsibility narrative; quoted company explanations remain source content.
Sources (15)
FAQ
Amazon has cut roughly 30,000 corporate jobs in recent months, including 14,000 in October and 16,000 now.[1]
U.S.-based employees have 90 days to seek internal roles, followed by severance pay, outplacement services, and health insurance benefits if they do not find one.[1]
The layoffs impact corporate roles across Amazon Web Services, retail, human resources (People Experience and Technology), and Prime Video.
Amazon cited reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy, amid a fast-changing world influenced by AI, though CEO Jassy noted the October cuts were primarily culture-driven, not financially or AI-driven.
Amazon states this is not the beginning of regular broad reductions, but teams will continue evaluating and making adjustments as needed; no plans for more broad cuts announced.[4]
History
10 sources