Amazon Confirms 16,000 More Corporate Job Cuts, Completing 30,000 Layoff Plan

Amazon has confirmed an additional 16,000 corporate job cuts, bringing the total to about 30,000 as part of a restructuring effort to reduce bureaucracy and streamline operations. While the layoffs affect nearly 10% of its corporate workforce, they represent a small fraction of Amazon’s 1.5 million global employees. The company says the move is linked to overhiring during the COVID-19 pandemic and increased automation driven by AI, while stressing that it does not plan ongoing rounds of mass layoffs.

Amazon has confirmed that it will cut a further 16,000 jobs in its corporate division, according to a blog post circulated to employees on Wednesday. This announcement brings the total number of corporate job losses to around 30,000, completing a restructuring plan that began in October last year as the company sought to reshape its internal operations.
The job reductions are part of a broader effort to strengthen the business, with Amazon focusing on simplifying its organizational structure. In the message to staff, the company’s chief human resources officer, Beth Galetti, explained that the layoffs were intended to reduce unnecessary layers of management, encourage greater ownership of responsibilities among remaining employees, and eliminate bureaucracy that can slow decision-making within such a large organization.
While the scale of the cuts has drawn attention, the affected roles represent only a small share of Amazon’s global workforce, which exceeds 1.5 million employees worldwide. The majority of Amazon workers are employed in warehouses, fulfillment centers, and distribution hubs. However, the 30,000 positions being eliminated amount to nearly 10 percent of the company’s corporate workforce, highlighting the significant impact on its white-collar operations.
The written announcement followed an internal mistake that unsettled some staff. Amazon inadvertently sent an email to certain Amazon Web Services employees that appeared to reference the layoff initiative under the name “Project Dawn.” The unintended disclosure caused confusion and anxiety among employees, as it suggested the existence of a formal internal plan tied to the job cuts.
In her message, Galetti acknowledged that some teams may still face additional changes, stating that adjustments would continue “as appropriate.” However, she sought to reassure employees that the company is not entering a cycle of frequent, large-scale layoffs. Addressing concerns directly, she said some staff might fear that Amazon plans to announce broad workforce reductions every few months, but emphasized that such a pattern is not part of the company’s strategy.
The blog post did not specify which departments or business units would be most affected by the cuts, nor did it outline how deeply individual teams might be impacted. This lack of detail has left some employees uncertain about what the restructuring will mean for their specific roles.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who took over leadership from founder Jeff Bezos in 2021, has previously linked corporate job losses to the company’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence. Last summer, he said the increased use of AI tools would drive greater automation of tasks and ultimately reduce the need for certain corporate roles over time.
The company has also pointed to overhiring during the COVID-19 pandemic as a contributing factor to the current restructuring. During that period, Amazon significantly increased recruitment to meet a surge in demand for online shopping and home deliveries, as lockdowns and voluntary movement restrictions changed consumer behavior worldwide.
Amazon is not alone in reassessing its workforce after the pandemic-era expansion. Many technology and logistics companies that ramped up hiring during COVID-19 have recently begun restructuring as demand stabilizes. In recent days, companies including UPS, Pinterest, and ASML have also announced job reductions, reflecting a broader trend across the tech and delivery sectors.