By Atoyebi Nike
Amazon is set to lay off as many as 30,000 corporate employees starting Tuesday, marking its largest round of job cuts since 2022. The move is part of CEO Andy Jassy’s strategy to reduce costs, streamline operations, and offset the effects of overhiring during the pandemic.
According to a Reuters report, the layoffs represent about 10 percent of Amazon’s 350,000 corporate workers but only a small portion of its global workforce of 1.55 million. The cuts will impact several divisions, including human resources, operations, devices, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The HR department, known internally as the People Experience and Technology group, is expected to see reductions of up to 15 percent. Managers were reportedly briefed Monday, with email notifications to affected employees beginning Tuesday morning.
Jassy has cited “excess bureaucracy” and AI-driven efficiency as key reasons for the restructuring. Analysts say automation has boosted productivity enough to justify staff reductions. “Amazon is realizing AI-driven gains that support a substantial reduction in force,” said eMarketer analyst Sky Canaves.
The company has also tightened its return-to-office policy, requiring all employees to work on-site five days a week. Those who fail to comply are being treated as having resigned voluntarily.
The layoffs come amid a broader wave of job cuts across the tech industry. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows more than 98,000 tech workers have lost their jobs in 2025 alone, following 153,000 in 2024.
