Amazon CEO Jassy plans to cut middle managers, empower employees

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is implementing a restructuring strategy to reduce middle management layers, aiming to enhance efficiency and speed by empowering individual contributors. In interviews, Jassy expressed concerns about the inefficiency of excessive managerial layers causing unnecessary meetings and a lack of ownership in decision-making. He plans to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by 15% by the end of Q1 2025, a goal reportedly already surpassed. This restructuring aligns with a broader corporate trend of layoffs and is welcomed by younger generations who value workplace autonomy. Despite resistance, Amazon maintains a five-day return-to-office policy, emphasizing the importance of in-person collaboration for innovation. These changes are intended to streamline Amazon's operations and foster a culture of self-management and innovation.