Amazon.com Inc. is preparing to eliminate up to 30,000 corporate positions, marking what would be the largest job‐cut round in the company’s history.
Sources familiar with the plan told news agency Reuters that the reduction could begin as early as Tuesday and may affect nearly 10 percent of the company’s approximately 350,000 corporate employees.
The giant online retailer’s planned cuts span multiple departments, including human resources (also referred to internally as the People Experience and Technology division), operations, and its devices and services unit.
The company’s highly profitable cloud‐computing arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS), is also reportedly included in the review.
Executives say the reduction follows what they describe as over-hiring during the pandemic surge and a need to streamline the corporate structure amid mounting pressure to invest aggressively in artificial intelligence and automation.
CEO Andy Jassy has emphasised efforts to remove redundant layers of management and align the workforce more closely with long-term strategic priorities.
Internal communications indicate that managers of the impacted teams were briefed and received training on how to notify affected employees.
A draft email, seen by media outlets, indicates that laid‐off employees may be offered up to 90 days of full pay and benefits as part of the severance package.
Despite the heavy corporate cuts, Amazon plans to hire around 250,000 seasonal workers for its upcoming holiday delivery surge, signalling that the layoff initiative is focused specifically on headquarters, technology and corporate functions rather than fulfillment or warehouse roles.
This move surpasses the previous large-scale cutbacks at the company, where roughly 27,000 jobs were eliminated between late 2022 and early 2023.
Analysts note that the tech sector overall has seen widespread workforce reductions this year as companies seek to recalibrate after pandemic-era growth.
Amazon’s decision is seen as part of this broader shift — but its scale, in the context of one of the world’s largest employers, raises questions about the future of corporate employment in the tech industry.
Amazon declined to comment publicly when approached by reporters ahead of the internal notifications.
Investors responded with a modest uptick in share price, reflecting market expectations that the cuts will improve cost discipline and support long‐term profitability.
As Amazon moves ahead with the restructuring, the impact on its corporate culture, employee morale and ability to attract talent will be watched closely.
The company’s message to the market: fewer, more focused employees aligned with AI and automation initiatives — even as it readies its frontline workforce for one of its busiest seasons.
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