- Amazon announces 16,000 more layoffs 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 in addition to the 14,000 jobs that were eliminated in October, bringing the total to 30,000 positions in less than six months.
Beth Galetti, senior vice president of People Experience and Technology, shared the news with employees via email yesterday before posting the copy online, citing “reducing layers, increasing ownership and eliminating bureaucracy” as key factors.
Amazon will cut 16,000 jobs
Amazon is framing this more as an adjustment than an outright workforce reduction, 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 that are critical to our future,” he added.
Galetti also addressed concerns that the company has entered a “new rhythm” of frequent layoffs. “As we have always done, each team will continue to evaluate ownership, speed, and ability to invent for customers, and make adjustments as necessary,” he wrote.
Although the precise implications vary by country, Galetti said American workers will have 90 days to find another internal position. Unselected applicants or those willing to leave will instead receive severance pay, health insurance benefits where applicable, and support in finding 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 latest two rounds are even bigger than the post-pandemic cuts.
Another email from AWS Senior Vice President Colleen Aubrey (via bbc) suggests that AWS roles are among the highest risk. “This is a continuation of the work we’ve been doing for over a year to strengthen the company,” Aubrey wrote, referencing Project Dawn, a codename linked to the Amazon layoffs.
Former workers cited by the bbc We believe Amazon had been planning to cut a total of around 30,000 jobs, with more rounds believed to come between now and the end of May 2026. It’s unclear whether the latest round of 16,000 now marks the completion of Amazon’s 30,000 layoffs.
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