Amazon Chops another 16,000 Jobs as It Races to Get Lean for AI

With input from CNN, CNBC, BBC, Amazon, and Axios.

Amazon announced Wednesday it will cut about 16,000 corporate roles, the company’s second big round of layoffs in three months as CEO Andy Jassy pushes to make the giant move faster and flatter in the age of AI.

Beth Galetti, Amazon’s SVP of people, said the job cuts are meant to “reduce layers, increase ownership, and remove bureaucracy” so teams can move quicker. The company framed the move as a reorg for speed and invention – not a simple cost-cutting exercise – and said it will still hire selectively in areas tied to its future priorities.

This follows the October cull of roughly 14,000 corporate workers. Together, the two rounds slice off about 30,000 roles – roughly 9–10% of Amazon’s corporate and tech headcount, which totals about 350,000, according to filings. Layoffs will start Wednesday and most US employees impacted will get 90 days to look for other roles inside Amazon; those who don’t land a new spot will receive severance, transition help and benefits.

The cuts leaked internally Tuesday in an apparent premature email referencing “organizational changes” and a project code-named Project Dawn, which some staff had already suspected was coming. Amazon said the draft message was sent in error; the formal blog post went out the next morning.

Amazon has been blunt about the role AI plays in its strategy. Jassy has said efficiency gains from generative AI and agents will change how work gets done and reduce the need for some roles – while creating others. Galetti emphasized the company isn’t trying to make mass layoffs a regular cadence, but teams will keep evaluating whether they have the ownership and speed to build for customers.

The job cuts come amid other moves to reshape the business: Amazon said earlier this week it will shutter its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go grocery chains and lean more into Whole Foods. The company has also signaled massive investment in AI and data centers – even as it trims staff to refocus resources.

For employees, the message is mixed: Amazon promises support for people impacted and says it will hire where it matters most – but the reality is that tens of thousands of corporate colleagues now have to reapply, reskill, or move on.