E-commerce giant Amazon is set to lay off nearly 30,000 corporate employees, marking its largest round of job cuts since 2022. The layoffs, expected to begin Tuesday, come as the company recalibrates after pandemic-era overhiring and leans into artificial intelligence&ndash;driven efficiencies, according to people familiar with internal discussions.
The figure represents about 10% of Amazon&rsquo;s 350,000 corporate staff, though it&rsquo;s a fraction of the company&rsquo;s global 1.55 million employees. The restructuring will reportedly affect several divisions, including human resources (People Experience and Technology), operations, devices and services, and even Amazon Web Services (AWS). Managers were briefed on Monday and trained on how to deliver the news, with email notifications expected to begin Tuesday morning.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been leading what insiders describe as an &ldquo;efficiency overhaul,&rdquo; aimed at reducing bureaucratic layers and streamlining processes. Earlier this year, he launched an anonymous feedback line that drew over 1,500 responses, resulting in more than 450 internal process changes.
Jassy had hinted in June that the company&rsquo;s increasing reliance on AI tools would likely lead to workforce reductions, particularly in repetitive and administrative roles.&nbsp;
&ldquo;This latest move signals that Amazon is likely realizing enough AI-driven productivity gains within corporate teams to support a substantial reduction in force,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Sky Canaves, an eMarketer analyst.
The cuts follow a failed attempt to nudge attrition through Amazon&rsquo;s return-to-office mandate, one of the strictest in Big Tech, requiring five in-office days per week. Employees who did not comply or lived far from corporate hubs are reportedly being classified as having &ldquo;voluntarily quit,&rdquo; forfeiting severance pay. While Amazon continues to slash corporate jobs, it remains bullish about the holiday season, planning to hire 250,000 seasonal workers, mirroring the last two years.
The company&rsquo;s most profitable arm, AWS, reported second-quarter sales of $30.9 billion, reflecting a 17.5% growth rate,&nbsp;significantly lower than Microsoft Azure&rsquo;s 39% and Google Cloud&rsquo;s 32%. Analysts estimate third-quarter sales could touch $32 billion, a slight deceleration.
Despite the layoffs, Amazon shares rose 1.2% to $226.97 on Monday ahead of its third-quarter earnings report due Thursday. The tech giant&rsquo;s continued restructuring underscores how AI transformation, post-pandemic recalibration, and internal efficiency drives are reshaping Silicon Valley&rsquo;s employment landscape.

In its biggest layoff since 2022, Amazon plans to trim 10% of its corporate workforce

Amazon to Cut 30,000 Jobs Amid AI Shift

In its biggest layoff since 2022, Amazon plans to trim 10% of its corporate workforce

October 28, 2025 | 10:32 IST