Amazon gears up for one of its biggest layoffs, 30,000 corporate roles in focus

Amazon is preparing for a second round of large-scale corporate layoffs, with thousands of white-collar roles likely to be cut as the company moves towards reducing its corporate workforce by 30,000 employees.

As stated in a Reuters report, the job cuts are expected to begin next week and could affect multiple divisions, including Amazon Web Services, the People Experience and Technology unit (human resources), Prime Video and the company’s core retail business. The sources cautioned that the plans were still subject to change.

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If carried out as planned, this would mark one of the largest workforce reductions in Amazon’s history.

Second phase after October cuts

In October 2025, Amazon eliminated 14,000 corporate roles, roughly half of its stated target. Employees affected in that round were placed on payroll for 90 days to either secure internal transfers or look for opportunities outside the company. That period is set to expire on January 26, 2026.

A company spokesperson declined to comment on the latest report.

According to Bloomberg, Amazon had around 1.57 million employees worldwide as of September 2025, the majority working in warehouses and logistics. Its corporate workforce stood at approximately 3.5 lakh employees, meaning the planned cuts would affect close to 10 per cent of white-collar staff.

The proposed reduction would exceed Amazon’s previous record layoffs in 2022, when it cut 27,000 roles.

AI and efficiency debate

Reuters reported that the October layoffs were linked to the growing adoption of artificial intelligence tools within the company. An internal memo cited by the agency described the current wave of AI as “the most transformative technology since the internet.”

However, during the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy pushed back against the idea that the cuts were driven directly by AI or financial pressure.

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“These changes are about culture,” Jassy told analysts. “You end up with a lot more people and a lot more layers than you need.”

He added that Amazon expects its corporate workforce to shrink further over time as automation and AI-led efficiencies increase. Across the tech sector, companies have increasingly turned to AI to automate routine tasks and software development, a trend Amazon itself has highlighted through new AI offerings showcased by AWS at its cloud conference in December.