Amazon (AMZN) will reportedly execute another wave of layoffs next week, per a recent Reuters report, targeting approximately 30,000 jobs. According to sources, the company’s retail operations are expected to be among the areas affected, alongside Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime Video, and the People Experience and Technology human resources unit.
In October 2025, the company eliminated 14,000 corporate positions, approximately half of the total reduction it is targeting. The sources tell Reuters that the layoffs could begin as soon as Tuesday, January 27.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has made it clear that these cuts are not about weak demand or falling profits. Speaking on the company’s third-quarter earnings call, he said the move was “not really financially driven” and “not even really AI-driven.” Instead, Jassy pointed to company culture. He said Amazon has added too many layers over time, which has slowed teams down and made the company less efficient. Despite that, concerns are still high about the company’s devotion to AI investing over other areas in the past year.
The chief executive pointed toward organizational friction and a desire to return to the company’s leaner roots as the primary catalysts for the change. “You end up with a lot more people than what you had before, and you end up with a lot more layers," Jassy told analysts during the call.
The total reduction of 30,000 jobs would represent nearly 10% of Amazon’s corporate workforce, though it remains a fraction of the firm’s 1.58 million total employees. Most of the company’s staff continues to be concentrated in its massive network of fulfillment centers and warehouses.
This series of cuts marks the largest headcount reduction in the online retailer’s three-decade history, surpassing the 27,000 jobs eliminated in 2022. The strategy reflects a broader corporate trend of using technology and restructuring to reduce bureaucracy and reliance on human labor.
Jobs in Amazon’s AWS, retail, Prime Video, and HR divisions are set to be impacted, the sources told Reuters, noting that plans could change. Amazon stock rose 0.2% in after-hours trade following the report.
