Amazon says it will cut 16,000 corporate jobs, completing a plan to shed around 30,000 positions since October, as the company restructures and increases its use of artificial intelligence.
The layoffs affect nearly 10% of Amazon’s corporate workforce and mark the largest job cuts in the company’s history. Most of Amazon’s 1.58 million employees work in fulfilment centres and warehouses.
The company says the cuts are aimed at reducing management layers, cutting bureaucracy and increasing ownership across teams. Amazon’s top human resources executive Beth Galetti said some teams may still make further adjustments. Most U.S.-based employees whose roles are affected will be given 90 days to look for another job inside the company. Timing may vary in other countries depending on local labour rules.
Amazon has also announced it is closing its remaining Fresh grocery stores and Go markets and is dropping its Amazon One palm-scan payment system after years of investment.
The move comes as CEO Andy Jassy pushes to abandon underperforming businesses and streamline operations. He has said wider use of generative AI and internal AI agents will change how work is done across Amazon. Jassy has warned the company will need fewer people in some roles and more in others as efficiency gains from AI grow, and that overall corporate headcount is likely to fall in the coming years.
The latest round follows 14,000 job cuts announced in October, which Amazon linked to the growing role of AI and concerns about corporate culture.
Amazon also mistakenly sent an internal email referencing the layoffs as “Project Dawn” to some Amazon Web Services staff, unsettling thousands of employees. Workers across AWS, Alexa, Prime Video, devices, advertising and last-mile delivery teams say they have been affected.
Amazon has been cutting costs so it can invest more heavily in AI and in the rapid expansion of data centres. The company has said capital spending is expected to reach about $125 billion in 2026.
Shares in Amazon were up slightly in pre-market trading.
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