Amazon Cuts 660 Corporate Jobs in New York Amid Major Restructuring
Amazon has eliminated 660 corporate positions across nine Manhattan office locations in October, with the heaviest impact at Hudson Yards and the former Lord & Taylor flagship building. This comes as part of broader plans to cut nearly 14,000 corporate roles globally.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon cut 660 corporate jobs in Manhattan across nine office locations
- 233 layoffs at 450 W 33rd St (Hudson Yards) and 182 at 424 Fifth Ave
- Part of broader plan to eliminate nearly 14,000 corporate positions
- CEO Andy Jassy cites cultural misalignment, not finances or AI, as primary reason
Major NYC Office Locations Affected
The e-commerce giant confirmed the job cuts affected only corporate employees, with the most significant reductions occurring at two key Manhattan addresses. The 450 W 33rd St offices near Hudson Yards saw 233 positions eliminated, while the 424 Fifth Ave location—the former Lord & Taylor flagship that Amazon acquired for $1 billion in 2020—experienced 182 layoffs.
“I believe the vast majority of these cuts are tech layoffs for Amazon, and NYC was not spared,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told The Post. “The size of the Amazon cuts remains a head scratcher given the battle for talent and the AI revolution in motion.”
CEO Explains Cultural Reasons Behind Layoffs
During Amazon’s recent earnings call, CEO Andy Jassy clarified that the workforce reduction wasn’t driven by financial pressures or artificial intelligence adoption. Instead, he attributed the cuts to cultural misalignment with Amazon’s corporate values.
“The announcement that we made a few days ago was not really financially driven, and it’s not even really AI-driven, not right now at least,” Andy Jassy said, adding that “it really — it’s culture.”
The layoffs have affected multiple departments including logistics, payments, video games, and cloud computing operations according to Bloomberg sources.
Organizational Restructuring Continues
Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, described the cuts as part of ongoing efforts to streamline operations and redirect resources toward the company’s most promising initiatives.
“The reductions we’re sharing today are a continuation of this work to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets,” Beth Galetti said in a blog post last month.
More Job Cuts Expected
Amazon executives have hinted at additional workforce reductions ahead. The company reportedly plans to cut approximately 30,000 corporate positions in the latest round, representing about 9% of its global office-based workforce.
Despite strong company performance, Galetti pointed to rapid technological changes and the transformative potential of AI as driving factors behind the restructuring.
“Some may ask why we’re reducing roles when the company is performing well. What we need to remember is that the world is changing quickly. This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before.”
