Amazon reportedly planning major layoffs across corporate divisions

Amazon is preparing to lay off tens of thousands of corporate employees as early as this week, according to multiple media reports.

The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, said the company is considering cutting up to 30,000 jobs as part of a cost-reduction drive led by chief executive Andy Jassy. If confirmed, it would mark Amazon’s largest round of layoffs since 2022, when around 27,000 positions were eliminated over several months.

Amazon declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.

Reports from CNBC and The New York Times also indicated that the layoffs would affect the company’s corporate workforce, though it remains unclear which regions or departments will be most impacted. The potential cuts would represent roughly 10% of Amazon’s corporate staff but only a small portion of its global workforce of more than 1.5 million employees.

According to figures the company submitted to U.S. regulators last year, Amazon has about 350,000 corporate workers, including those in executive, managerial, and sales roles.

Like many tech giants, Amazon expanded rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic to meet surging demand for online shopping and cloud services. However, under Jassy’s leadership, the company has shifted its focus to cost efficiency and long-term investments in artificial intelligence (AI).

Jassy said in June that advances in AI could lead to workforce changes, noting, “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.”