- Amazon plans to cut about 14,000 corporate jobs starting January 27
- Layoffs target 10% of Amazon's corporate workforce, mainly white-collar roles
- Affected departments include Amazon Web Services, retail, Prime Video, and HR
Amazon is set to axe around 14,000 corporate jobs as early as next week, Reuters reported, citing sources. This is part of a plan to eliminate nearly 30,000 white-collar roles and reduce internal bureaucracy.
The layoffs, expected to begin as soon as January 27, will affect nearly 10 per cent of Amazon's corporate workforce, although they represent only a small fraction of its 1.58 million global employees, most of whom work in fulfillment centres and warehouses.
Departments Expected To Be Hit
These layoffs are expected to primarily affect corporate and white-collar roles.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS): Despite being Amazon's most profitable division, AWS has faced slower growth compared to its pandemic-era surge, prompting tighter cost controls.
- Retail and E-commerce Operations: Ongoing efforts to streamline logistics, merchandising, and corporate support functions are expected to continue.
- Prime Video and Entertainment: Amazon has been reassessing its content strategy and spending levels, which may translate into workforce reductions.
- People Experience and Technology (Human Resources): HR and internal technology teams are also reportedly in scope as Amazon looks to reduce managerial layers and automate processes.
This is the second major round of layoffs under the current restructuring effort. In October 2025, Amazon let go of roughly 14,000 white-collar roles, around half of the total reduction target. That round alone affected nearly 2,200 employees in Seattle and Bellevue.
Employees on anonymous corporate forums such as Blind and Reddit claim that senior leaders and managers have already hinted at upcoming job cuts. Some workers have also suggested that employees currently on performance improvement plans (PIPs) may receive advance notifications, ahead of broader communications to the rest of the workforce.
What Amazon CEO Said
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said earlier that the layoffs were “not really financially driven and it's not even really AI-driven.” He said the decision was a response to company culture, saying Amazon has accumulated excessive bureaucracy over time.
“You end up with a lot more people than what you had before, and you end up with a lot more layers,” Jassy said.
