Amazon Begins Layoffs; Up to 30,000 Roles Affected

Amazon is carrying out major corporate layoffs, with an initial round reportedly affecting roughly 14,000 employees and broader cuts that could reach as many as 30,000 corporate roles—about 10% of its roughly 350,000 corporate workforce. Some employees received early-morning text-message alerts to check email or call help desks, while managers were instructed to prepare briefings for impacted teams. Company memos and reporting say the reductions target groups including HR, devices, services and operations, and affected workers have been offered severance, outplacement assistance and temporary benefits. Executives frame the cuts as part of CEO Andy Jassy’s push to reduce bureaucracy, cut costs and reallocate spending toward AI and infrastructure after pandemic-era overhiring. Another round of cuts is expected after the holidays, and laid-off employees have been posting reactions and updates on platforms like TikTok and LinkedIn.