On Tuesday, Amazon workers disclosed a fresh wave of layoffs impacting various company divisions. In a private Slack group, employees shared that they had been notified via email about their positions being terminated. This group, with a membership of nearly 37,000, was soon flooded with inquiries regarding severance packages and access to internal job listings.
These notifications indicated reductions in multiple departments, such as customer service, marketplace support, and engineering within Amazon’s retail sector, as well as operations in India and the UK. A source close to the situation revealed that fewer than 1,000 employees were impacted overall.
Amazon’s Workforce Restructuring
These recent layoffs demonstrate that Amazon’s efforts to streamline costs continue to reshape its workforce, even as the company plans its most significant investment spree to date. Following the elimination of approximately 30,000 positions late last year and early this year to reduce expenses and flatten its hierarchy, Amazon is now set to invest a record $220 billion in data centers, semiconductors, and other infrastructure for AI development.
An Amazon representative acknowledged that the company cut “a small number” of jobs on Tuesday, mainly within its Stores division. The spokesperson stated, “We’re always looking at our team structures to ensure we’re best set up to move fast as we innovate for customers.” “We’ve adjusted parts of our Stores business because we believe this structure will better enable us to deliver on our priorities. As part of these changes, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles, and we’re committed to supporting affected employees through their transition.”
Employee Concerns
The job cuts followed a period of unease among Amazon’s corporate staff, who had been anticipating another round of layoffs. Employees, already affected by previous reductions, had been preparing for further changes, with some managers scaling back their planning due to expected shifts in team structures or priorities.
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Within the Slack group, employees sought clarification on whether all termination notices had been issued, how medical leave would be managed, and if they could retain access to Slack and Outlook during their notice periods. Some also questioned whether the layoffs would extend to Mexico and other parts of Europe.
A pressing concern for many was the possibility of securing another position within Amazon before their current employment ended. One employee inquired about the severance implications for those who accepted external offers during the 90-day notice period and chose to leave early.
This shift may alter the types of roles and skills in demand within the company. Amazon is not the only company combining job cuts with increased AI investment. Meta eliminated around 8,000 positions in May while reassigning thousands of employees to AI projects, and Microsoft cut over 5,000 jobs between July and September.
Amazon has also been contacting former employees, including those laid off in previous rounds, about openings in AWS and its AI divisions. Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected] or Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 650-942-3061. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.
