The e-commerce powerhouse Amazon is allegedly gearing up for another colossal layoff wave next week, targeting 30,000 positions as AI reshapes its operational landscape. This move underscores a strategic realignment in a post-pandemic economy.
Impacts will ripple through AWS infrastructure, HR functions, Prime Video entertainment, and retail backbone. October saw 14,000 such exits, paving the way for this comprehensive 30,000-job cull.
Insider tips to Reuters hint at comparable numbers ahead. Amazon holds its tongue officially.
October’s memo spotlighted AI’s transformative power—likened to the internet era—as the enabler for hyper-efficient innovation, necessitating leaner teams.
CEO Andy Jassy, in earnings remarks, framed it as a cultural reset against bureaucratic bloat: more people meant more hierarchies, stifling momentum.
Historic in scale for Amazon’s three-decade journey, outstripping 2022’s 27,000, yet a mere sliver of its 1.5 million workforce.
Those cut will hold paychecks for 90 days, buying time for internal transfers or new ventures.
At Davos, sector leaders concurred: AI automates routines, altering job natures without wholesale displacement.