Key Takeaways
- Amazon plans to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs starting Tuesday
- This represents 10% of corporate workforce and surpasses previous layoffs
- AI-driven efficiency and cost-cutting drive the reductions
- Company continues hiring 250,000 seasonal workers for holidays
Amazon is preparing to notify approximately 30,000 corporate employees about layoffs beginning Tuesday, marking one of the largest workforce reductions in the company’s history. The job cuts will affect about 10% of Amazon’s corporate staff across multiple divisions.
Scope and Timing of Layoffs
The layoffs would surpass the 27,000 job cuts Amazon announced between late 2022 and mid-2023. Affected divisions include human resources (People Experience and Technology), operations, and the devices and services arm.
Managers from impacted teams received training on Monday to prepare for notifying employees. Notification emails are scheduled to go out Tuesday morning.
Strategic Reasons Behind the Cuts
CEO Andy Jassy’s broader streamlining initiative drives these workforce reductions. Since taking leadership in 2021, Jassy has focused on eliminating excessive bureaucracy and improving efficiency.
The company has implemented an anonymous feedback system that has led to over 450 internal process changes. Artificial intelligence automation is playing a significant role in reshaping Amazon’s workforce requirements.
“AI is automating a lot of repetitive and routine tasks,” Jassy said in June, suggesting such advancements could lead to further staff reductions.
Industry Context and Financial Performance
According to Layoffs.fyi, approximately 98,000 tech jobs have been eliminated in 2025 across more than 200 companies. This compares to 153,000 job losses throughout 2024.
Amazon Web Services, the company’s most profitable segment, reported $30.9 billion in second-quarter sales – a 17.5% year-over-year increase. However, this growth trailed behind Microsoft Azure (39%) and Google Cloud (32%).
Analysts estimate AWS revenue reached $32 billion in the third quarter, representing an 18% increase despite recovering from a recent 15-hour outage that affected platforms like Snapchat and Venmo.
Holiday Hiring Continues
Despite corporate layoffs, Amazon plans to hire 250,000 seasonal workers for the upcoming holiday season – matching hiring levels from the past two years. These positions will support warehouse and delivery operations during peak demand periods.
The company is scheduled to release its third-quarter earnings on Thursday, providing further insight into its financial performance and strategic direction.
