Amazon Announces 16,000 Job Cuts Amid Second Layoff Wave

Amazon has announced that it would eliminate roughly 16,000 corporate jobs globally. This is the second major round of layoffs in three months.

The cuts, revealed in a memo from Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice‑president, come just a few months after the company trimmed roughly 14,000 roles in October 2025.

Combined, the two layoffs total around 30,000 jobs eliminated, the largest workforce reduction in Amazon’s history with exemptions of similar cuts made in 2023.

What Amazon says and why it’s happening

In a message to staff, Galetti stated that the purpose of the latest cuts is to “reduce layers, increase ownership, and remove bureaucracy”. She said teams that completed restructuring first were notified in October, while others were informed more recently.

Amazon has emphasized that the layoffs do not indicate financial difficulties.

The business achieved significant profit growth last year, including a roughly 40% increase in net profit to $21 billion, and it intends to keep making investments in areas that are vital to its future.

However, leadership identified the quick uptake of artificial intelligence (AI) as a factor changing the nature of employment.

CEO Andy Jassy has previously stated that, despite the emergence of new opportunities, certain positions would become less important as generative AI and automation are used more widely.

Impact in the United States

Although the layoffs are global, most of the affected roles are in the United States. It particularly affected Amazon’s corporate employees in tech, human resources, retail operations, and cloud divisions like Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Before leaving, many of the U.S. employees will have up to 90 days to apply for new positions inside the company. Severance compensation, career transition programs, and ongoing benefits are expected for those who are unable to find new employment.

With over 350,000 employees worldwide, Amazon’s corporate workforce makes up a very small percentage of the company’s total workforce of over 1.5 million. The majority of Amazon employees work hourly in centers and warehouses, so they are unaffected by this wave of layoffs.

What this means for American Employees

The news will bring uncertainty for a lot of Americans. From Seattle and San Francisco to New York and beyond.

Corporate layoffs at one of the biggest company in the nation can have a cascading effect on local economies. It can affect not just the individuals, but also contractors, partners, and local labor markets.

However, Amazon is still hiring in “strategic areas,” such as AI, cloud services, and logistics, even as it eliminates positions that were added during a time of fast expansion.