Amazon Plans Massive Layoffs: 30,000 Corporate Jobs at Risk

Amazon is reportedly preparing for its largest workforce reduction since 2023, with plans to eliminate as many as 30,000 corporate positions beginning this week. The move represents a significant strategic shift for the e-commerce giant as it seeks to streamline operations while investing heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Scale and Timing of the Layoffs

According to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the matter, Amazon will begin notifying affected employees as early as Tuesday, October 28. The cuts represent nearly 10% of the company's approximately 350,000 corporate workforce, though only a small fraction of its total 1.55 million employees worldwide.

This would mark Amazon's largest single wave of job cuts since the company eliminated roughly 27,000 positions between late 2022 and early 2023. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the reports when contacted by news outlets.

Which Departments Face the Deepest Cuts

The human resources division, known internally as People eXperience Technology (PXT), appears to be facing particularly severe reductions. Sources indicate that up to 15% of the HR staff could be affected, with the division employing more than 10,000 people globally.

Beyond HR, multiple corporate divisions are expected to see reductions, including:

• Operations teams
• Device and services units
• Communications departments
• Recruiting functions

Managers of impacted teams were reportedly asked to undergo training on Monday regarding how to communicate with staff following the notifications. The cuts may affect various divisions within Amazon's core consumer business, though the full scope remains unclear.

The Strategic Calculus Behind the Decision

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has embarked on an aggressive cost-cutting campaign since taking over from founder Jeff Bezos in 2021. The company has been working to address what many insiders describe as bloat accumulated during the pandemic-era hiring surge when consumer demand reached unprecedented levels.

The layoffs come as Amazon pours resources into artificial intelligence development. The company plans to invest upwards of $100 billion in capital expenditures this year, primarily focused on building AI and cloud infrastructure for both internal use and enterprise customers through Amazon Web Services.

In June, Jassy sent a companywide memo that signaled this shift, writing: "Those who embrace this change, become conversant in AI, help us build and improve our AI capabilities internally and deliver for customers, will be well-positioned to have high impact and help us reinvent the company."

AI's Role in Workforce Restructuring

The CEO hasn't been subtle about AI's impact on staffing needs. In the same June communication, Jassy acknowledged: "We expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company."

This represents a broader industry trend as tech companies increasingly look to artificial intelligence to automate routine tasks and streamline operations. Amazon appears to be betting that AI tools can handle many of the repetitive functions currently performed by human workers, particularly in support roles like HR and recruiting.

Context: Amazon's Recent Workforce Adjustments

While these planned cuts represent the largest single action, Amazon has been steadily reducing headcount throughout 2025 in smaller waves. Earlier this year, the company made targeted cuts across several divisions:

• Approximately 100 employees in the consumer devices unit
• Staff reductions at Wondery, its podcast division
• Various positions within Amazon Web Services

These incremental reductions suggested a company systematically addressing overstaffing, but the scale of the planned cuts signals a more dramatic strategic shift.

The Financial Picture

Amazon stock has gained 15% over the past 12 months but remains relatively flat for the calendar year, up just over 1%. The company is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on Thursday, October 31, which will provide crucial insight into how Wall Street views the restructuring strategy.

The timing of the layoffs—just ahead of earnings—is notable. Companies often bundle difficult workforce news with quarterly results to manage investor expectations and market reaction.

Balancing Cuts with Seasonal Hiring

In an interesting juxtaposition, Amazon announced plans on Tuesday to hire 250,000 seasonal warehouse workers for the holiday shopping period. This contrast underscores the company's dual strategy: maintaining and even expanding its logistics workforce while substantially reducing corporate overhead.

The seasonal hiring follows Amazon's traditional pattern of ramping up distribution center staffing to handle increased package volumes during November and December. These warehouse positions operate on a different economic model than the corporate roles being eliminated.

Historical Context and Industry Trends

Amazon isn't alone in reassessing workforce needs post-pandemic. The tech industry saw widespread layoffs in 2022 and 2023 as companies that had hired aggressively during COVID-19 found themselves overstaffed when consumer behavior normalized.

However, Amazon's approach under Jassy has been particularly aggressive. The CEO has developed a reputation as a cost-cutter, regularly requiring managers to hit specific targets for "unregretted attrition"—essentially a percentage of employees the company would be comfortable losing through voluntary departures or terminations.

What This Means for Affected Employees

For Amazon's corporate workforce, the announcement creates immediate uncertainty. While specific severance terms haven't been disclosed, Amazon has historically provided:

• Several months of salary continuation
• Extended healthcare benefits
• Job placement assistance
• Accelerated vesting for some stock options

The tech job market, while improved from its 2023 lows, remains competitive. Many of the affected employees will likely find opportunities at other technology companies, though the concentration of available talent may temporarily depress compensation levels.

Looking Ahead: Amazon's AI-First Future

These layoffs represent more than cost-cutting—they signal Amazon's vision for an AI-augmented corporate structure. As Jassy's memo made clear, the company sees artificial intelligence as fundamental to its next chapter, not merely as a product to sell but as a tool to reshape how Amazon itself operates.

The reduction in recruiting and HR staff, in particular, suggests Amazon believes AI can handle significant portions of talent management, from candidate screening to employee support functions. Whether this proves prescient or premature will likely become clear over the coming years.

For now, tens of thousands of Amazon employees await notification about their futures, while the company prepares to report earnings that will help investors judge whether this dramatic restructuring supports or undermines Amazon's long-term competitive position.