Amazon AMZN.O is reportedly preparing to cut up to 30,000 corporate positions starting Tuesday, as part of a major cost-reduction effort aimed at correcting overhiring during the pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Although the cuts represent only a fraction of Amazon’s 1.55 million-strong workforce, they account for nearly 10 percent of its 350,000 corporate employees — the largest round of layoffs since about 27,000 jobs were eliminated beginning in late 2022.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment, but the job reductions are expected to hit several divisions, including human resources (known internally as People Experience and Technology), devices and services, and operations. Managers from affected departments were briefed on how to communicate the layoffs following staff notifications due Tuesday morning.
Chief Executive Andy Jassy has been pushing to streamline management and eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy. He introduced an anonymous feedback line that has already led to more than 450 process changes across the company. Jassy previously acknowledged that automation and the increasing use of artificial-intelligence tools would eventually displace some roles, particularly those involving routine or repetitive work.
“This latest move shows Amazon is beginning to realise meaningful productivity gains from AI across its corporate teams,” said Sky Canaves, an analyst at eMarketer. “It’s also under pressure to offset the heavy spending on AI infrastructure.”
The total number of cuts could change as the company reassesses its financial priorities. Reports indicate that human resources could see reductions of roughly 15 percent.
The layoffs come as Amazon’s cloud computing arm, AWS, continues to face slowing growth. AWS sales climbed 17.5 percent in the second quarter to $30.9 billion, lagging Microsoft Azure (39 percent growth) and Google Cloud (32 percent).
Despite the corporate cuts, Amazon plans to hire 250,000 seasonal workers for the upcoming holiday period — the same as in the past two years. Shares of Amazon closed 1.3 percent higher at $227.11 on Monday, ahead of its third-quarter earnings report due Thursday.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are m...
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations...
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment