Amazon is poised to eliminate up to 30,000 corporate jobs starting Tuesday (Oct. 28). That figure represents nearly 10% of Amazon's roughly 350,000 corporate employees and marks the biggest layoff in the company's history.
For comparison, Amazon's previous major downsizing in late 2022 and early 2023 totalled about 27,000 job cuts.
Amazon has not officially commented on the reports of the layoffs. However, three people familiar with the plan told Reuters that the company will begin informing affected employees via email on Tuesday morning.
Managers of teams slated for cuts were even instructed to undergo training on Monday on how to communicate the news to staff — a sign that Amazon is handling this delicately given the scale.
Chief Executive Andy Jassy has been telegraphing a need for greater efficiency for months. He has spoken openly about reducing what he calls excess bureaucracy and management layers inside Amazon.
The broader goal, according to Jassy, is to "right-size" Amazon's cost structure after the company's headcount ballooned during the pandemic e-commerce boom.
At the same time, Amazon is investing heavily in artificial intelligence, data centres and logistics automation — a pattern now seen across Big Tech, from Microsoft's 60,000 voluntary buyouts to wider corporate restructuring.
The cuts are corporate roles, not warehouse and fulfilment jobs. Amazon's total workforce is about 1.58 million people, most of whom work in fulfilment centres and warehouses, so the corporate cull affects only a fraction of total staff — but it is still a major reduction in its office ranks.
Amazon itself is simultaneously hiring 250,000 seasonal warehouse workers for the holidays, highlighting that front-line operations remain staffed even as white-collar roles are trimmed.
Affected staff are expected to learn their status by email from Tuesday morning. Watch for: - Amazon's official statement and any severance details - Which divisions — AWS, retail, devices, advertising — are hit hardest - Whether this is the final round, or part of a longer efficiency programme
Is Amazon cutting 30,000 jobs for certain? The figure is reported by Reuters, citing people familiar with the plan. Amazon has not officially commented on the reports.
Is this Amazon's biggest layoff ever? Yes, if the reported figure holds — it would exceed the roughly 27,000 cuts in late 2022 and early 2023.
Are warehouse workers affected? No — these are corporate roles. Amazon is separately hiring 250,000 seasonal warehouse workers for the holidays.
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