Amazon to Trim About 30,000 Corporate Roles as It Reorients for Automation

On Tuesday (local time), Amazon began cutting roughly 30,000 corporate roles, Reuters reports — a reduction on a scale not seen since the roughly 27,000 jobs removed between late 2022 and early 2023.

Though the layoffs represent only a small slice of Amazon’s 1.55 million global workforce, they affect about 10% of its roughly 350,000 corporate employees and reflect a renewed drive to slim the company after pandemic-era hiring surges.

Earlier reporting indicated parts of the human resources function could see significant impacts, with some estimates suggesting up to 15% of that division may be affected, and additional cuts likely across other teams.

Divisions Facing the Impact

Several areas are expected to bear the brunt of the reductions, including:

• Human Resources (People Experience and Technology)

• Devices and Services

• Operations

Managers in impacted groups were reportedly briefed and given guidance on delivering difficult news on Monday, with email notifications rolling out from Tuesday. The final tally of cuts may shift depending on evolving financial choices.

Gradual Reductions Over the Past Two Years

This round is part of a longer, quieter trimming of staff at Amazon. Over the last two years, headcount was pared back in a number of divisions, including devices, communications and podcasting.

Examples include 110 roles eliminated at Wondery’s podcast team, several hundred positions removed from parts of AWS in July 2025, and almost 100 jobs cut in the devices and services unit in May.

Jassy’s Drive to Simplify Amazon’s Structure

CEO Andy Jassy has pushed to flatten layers of management and speed decision-making. He introduced an internal feedback tool that drew more than 1,500 employee responses and led to about 450 process changes inside the company.

Jassy has also highlighted how AI and automation are reshaping work at Amazon, saying routine tasks will increasingly be handled by technology and urging employees to reskill to remain competitive.

Layoffs Amid Holiday Hiring Surge

Despite these corporate reductions, Amazon still plans to recruit about 250,000 seasonal workers to cope with heightened holiday demand.

Investors reacted calmly: Amazon shares rose about 1.3% to $227.11 on Monday ahead of the company’s third-quarter results later this week.

Tech Industry’s Wider Trend

The move mirrors a broader contraction across the technology sector. Data compiled by Layoffs.fyi shows nearly 98,000 tech roles were cut in 2025 across 216 companies, following roughly 153,000 job losses in 2024.

As Amazon leans into automation and tighter cost structures, this latest round underscores how even the largest employers are rethinking scale and staffing in the age of AI.