New wave of Amazon layoffs to achieve its goal of cutting 30,000 corporate jobs

Amazon continues to seek ways to become more and more—and even more—“efficient.” But at what cost?

According to sources close to the company, Amazon intends to carry out a second round of mass layoffs next week, thus completing its previously announced plan to eliminate nearly 30,000 corporate positions that was disclosed several months ago.

This new phase of downsizing, which could begin as early as this Tuesday, will affect divisions that are critical to the digital ecosystem: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Retail, Prime Video, and the Human Resources department (PXT).

A historic adjustment in the age of AI

After having let go of 14,000 employees last October, this new round of layoffs seeks to fulfill the ambitious workforce reduction goal about which we had previously reported. Although Amazon employs more than 1.5 million people worldwide, this cut is focused exclusively on corporate staff, representing approximately 10% of that segment.

This represents the largest layoff process in the company’s 30-year history, surpassing even the 27,000 terminations recorded in 2022.

What Amazon’s CEO Says

The narrative behind these layoffs has generated both internal and external debate. On one hand, this restructuring has been closely linked to the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

In internal communications, Amazon has described this generation of AI as the most transformative technology since the advent of the Internet, enabling innovation at unprecedented speed and automating routine tasks through intelligent agents and automatic code generation.

Conversely, CEO Andy Jassy has sought to soften the message before analysts, assuring that this move is not merely financial nor solely driven by AI, but rather a matter of “culture.” According to Jassy, the company has accumulated too many hierarchical layers and too much bureaucracy, which slows down decision-making processes.

“You end up with far more people than you once had and with many more layers,” Jassy stated, justifying the need for a flatter structure in order to restore Amazon’s agile DNA.

Where Amazon’s Layoffs Will Have an Impact

As Reuters explained in its exclusive report, it is expected that the areas of AWS, retail, and Prime Video will be at the focus of these reductions:

• AWS is Amazon’s profitability engine. It is integrating large-scale generative AI models, which appears to enable the optimization of development and support processes with less human capital.
• Prime Video: In the midst of a battle for attention and advertising within the streaming sector, this division is seeking maximum profitability with careful attention to the cost of investing in content and advertising technology.
• Retail: The core of eCommerce aims to become more efficient in an increasingly automated and competitive consumer environment.

For the 14,000 workers who departed in October, the grace period ends this Monday. Amazon maintained them on payroll for ninety days to facilitate their transition or enable their search for internal employment. The conclusion of this period coincides almost surgically with the commencement of the new wave of layoffs, suggesting a phased transition.

With this, Amazon is sending a clear message: operational efficiency is no longer optional. In 2026, AI does not merely serve to boost sales or improve product recommendations; it is redefining how many individuals are necessary to operate the world’s largest store.

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