"A Hint Of The Great Depression": Amazon Layoffs Spark Fierce Online Backlash

E-commerce giant Amazon is set to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs starting Tuesday, marking its largest workforce reduction since late 2022, a move covering nearly 10 per cent of its 350,000 global corporate staff.  

The cuts come amid a broader push by CEO Andy Jassy to streamline operations, remove bureaucracy, and make greater use of artificial intelligence and automation. Divisions expected to feel the impact include Human Resources (People Experience & Technology), Devices & Services, and Operations. 

Also Read | Amazon To Lay Off 30,000 Corporate Employees In Largest Job Cut Since 2022: Report

While the figure represents a small percentage of Amazon's 1.55 million total employees, but nearly 10% of its roughly 350,000 corporate employees, the scale and speed of the layoff have stirred significant unease. In particular, social-media users reacted sharply:  

While Amazon's massive layoff announcement is making headlines across major media outlets, it has also triggered intense reactions on social media.

The great reset is coming.

A hint of great depression of 1929#layoffs

— Adarsh  (@Adarsh_Web3) October 28, 2025

Many users are calling it the end of the stable job era, with some even likening it to the onset of a modern-day Great Depression.  

Amazon is planning to layoff 30000 corporate employees by replacing AI and ROBOTS 👀🤯
Biggest layoff in history i think 💀 pic.twitter.com/u2o2ihT8j6

— 🇮🇳KAUSHAL🇮🇳 (@SANATANI0327) October 28, 2025

One user questioned, "Is Amazon replacing humans with robots?" while another remarked, "The focus has clearly shifted to automation and AI, humans out, bots in."  

Rumour is surfacing that amazon is cutting 300,000 jobs due to AI. This surely feels like reliving the 2008 time frame in the computer science industry. Many biggies in industry are relying too much on AI too quickly without completely understanding it's reliability #layoffs pic.twitter.com/0Xu7Nv7MoV

— Harshal Shete (@techninja33) October 28, 2025

A third user summed up the sentiment, saying, "This isn't just about layoffs. It's the age-old struggle between labour-driven survival and capital-driven ambition. When efficiency overrides empathy, people are seen as costs, not contributors."