- Amazon announces 16,000 more job cuts after 14,000 in October
- It’s all part of a restructuring plan to remove unnecessary layers
- The company is still hiring elsewhere, and affected workers can reapply
Amazon is the latest company to announce major workforce reductions following similar news from Pinterest yesterday, with 16,000 jobs at risk globally as part of ongoing restructuring efforts.
This is on top of the 14,000 jobs cut in October, bringing the total to 30,000 in less than six months.
SVP of People Experience and Technology Beth Galetti shared the news with employees via email yesterday before releasing the copy online, citing “reducing layers, increasing ownership and removing red tape” as key drivers.
Amazon will cut 16,000 jobs
Amazon is framing this as more of an adjustment than a total reduction in headcount, suggesting that affected workers will be able to reapply for other jobs within the organization. “We will also continue to hire and invest in strategic areas and functions critical to our future,” she added.
Galetti also addressed concerns that the company has entered a “new rhythm” of frequent layoffs. “As we always have, each team will continue to evaluate the ownership, velocity and capacity to invent for customers and make adjustments as needed,” she wrote.
Although the precise implications vary by country, Galetti said U.S. workers will have 90 days to find another in-house role. Unsuccessful applicants or those willing to walk away will instead receive severance pay, health insurance benefits where applicable and support to find another job.
Amazon is no stranger to laying off thousands—three of its biggest hits included 10,000 in 2022, 8,000 in 2023 and another 9,000 in 2023 (via layoffs.fyi), but these two latest rounds are even bigger than post-pandemic cuts.
Another email from AWS SVP Colleen Aubrey (via BBC) suggest that AWS roles are among the most at risk. “This is a continuation of the work we’ve done for more than a year to strengthen the company,” Aubrey wrote, referring to Project Dawn, a code name linked to Amazon layoffs.
Former workers quoted by BBC believes Amazon had planned to cut a total of about 30,000 jobs, with more rounds believed to come between now and the end of May 2026. It is unclear whether the latest round of 16,000 now marks the end of Amazon’s 30,000 layoffs.
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