What Amazon told employees about axing 16 000 jobs
Amazon is cutting around 16 000 corporate jobs worldwide in a major workforce restructuring announced on 28 January 2026, the company confirmed in an internal memo to staff.
The reduction is part of a broader plan that could see close to 30 000 white-collar roles eliminated by mid-2026 as Amazon seeks to streamline its organisation after rapid pandemic-era expansion.
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The decision affects teams across key units including cloud computing, retail, human resources and media, and comes amid broader industry layoffs across large tech firms.
The scale and rationale behind the job cuts
Amazon’s internal message, shared by Beth Galetti, senior vice-president of People Experience and Technology, said plainly that “the reductions we are making today will impact approximately 16,000 roles across Amazon” and emphasised support for those affected.
The company has framed the move as part of a long-term organisational reset rather than a short-term cost-cutting exercise. Amazon’s leadership has previously described efforts to reduce layers of bureaucracy and to improve decision-making speed as key drivers behind the cuts.
In the memo, Galetti referred to this ongoing restructuring, noting that earlier organisational changes had not been completed in some teams until now.
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By GlobalDataIndustry analysts see the layoffs as part of a broader shift in tech, where companies are rebalancing workforces after over-hiring during the pandemic and realigning priorities around emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Internal transfer windows and employee support
Amazon’s memo outlined specific provisions for employees whose roles are being eliminated. For US-based staff, most will be given a period to seek new positions within the company.
As Galetti explained: “That starts with offering most US-based employees 90 days to look for a new role internally (timing will vary internationally based on local and country level requirements).”
This internal transfer window mirrors practices at other large tech firms during layoffs, where companies aim to retain talent by moving employees into open positions that match their skills. However, not all affected individuals will secure new roles.
For those who do not find new positions or choose not to look internally, the memo said Amazon will provide a range of transition supports. Galetti wrote that for these employees the company would offer “transition support including severance pay, outplacement services, health insurance benefits (as applicable), and more.”
These measures are typical of large-scale layoffs and aim to cushion the impact on workers while enabling career transitions.
Whether layoffs signal a new pattern
Layoffs at a company the size of Amazon often fuel speculation about whether they are part of an ongoing pattern. In its internal communication, Amazon sought to address this directly.
Galetti acknowledged the uncertainty but stated that “some of you might ask if this is the beginning of a new rhythm – where we announce broad reductions every few months. That’s not our plan.”
She went on to affirm that normal business evaluation processes will continue, with each team assessing its capacity to deliver and innovate in a rapidly changing environment.
According to the memo, “every team will continue to evaluate the ownership, speed, and capacity to invent for customers, and make adjustments as appropriate. That’s never been more important than it is today in a world that’s changing faster than ever.”
Amazon’s reassurance parallels comments from leadership that previous rounds of layoffs were tied more to organisational culture and structural evolution than to immediate financial performance.
Investing in strategic areas even as cuts occur
Despite the scale of the job cuts, Amazon also reiterated its ongoing investments in strategic business areas. The memo highlighted that “while we’re making these changes, we’ll also continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future.”
The company stated it remains in the early stages of building out its major business units, and that it sees “significant opportunity ahead,” underscoring that the layoffs are intended to refocus resources rather than halt growth.
Public reporting shows that, while corporate headcount is being trimmed, Amazon continues to expand in areas such as cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence, as well as in logistics and delivery technologies.
Broader impact and context
The latest round of cuts follows the roughly 14 000 layoffs announced in October 2025, bringing corporate job reductions to nearly 10 per cent of Amazon’s roughly 350 000-strong office workforce.
Tech sector layoffs have remained elevated, with firms citing automation, economic uncertainty and evolving business priorities as key drivers.
Amazon’s approach—pairing layoffs with continued hiring in strategic areas—is consistent with trends among major technology companies adjusting to post-pandemic business environments.
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