Amazon prepares second wave of corporate layoffs totaling about 14,000 roles

Amazon is preparing a second round of corporate job cuts that could begin as soon as the week of Jan. 27, according to multiple people familiar with the plans. The reductions are expected to be roughly the same size as the October 2025 wave, which eliminated about 14,000 white-collar roles, and would move the company closer to a previously disclosed target of roughly 30,000 corporate reductions if fully executed.

The planned layoffs would affect a range of units, with sources flagging Amazon Web Services, the company’s retail business, Prime Video and Human Resources, internally known as People Experience and Technology, as likely to see significant impact. Exact team-level details remain fluid and are subject to change as managers finalize decisions that in some cases were deferred from an earlier round last fall.

Amazon’s corporate headcount currently stands at about 350,000, while total global employment is roughly 1.57–1.58 million. If roughly 30,000 corporate positions are removed over the course of this program, the cuts would amount to nearly 10% of the corporate workforce while remaining a relatively small share of Amazon’s global headcount. The October transition arrangements allowed affected employees up to 90 days on payroll to seek internal roles; that window is scheduled to close just ahead of the expected new round, increasing pressure on internal mobility and placement teams.

The rationale for continuing reductions has been portrayed internally in competing terms. In October, company communications framed some cuts around the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence, describing the current generation of AI as highly transformative and enabling faster innovation. Subsequent internal explanations from senior leadership have emphasized cultural fit and organizational priorities, underlining that the company has been balancing efficiency with long-term talent strategy.

Operationally, the new round reflects a broader retrenchment in the technology sector that began in late 2022 and continued through early 2023, when Amazon previously eliminated roughly 27,000 positions. For Amazon, these recurring adjustments aim to reallocate resources toward priority projects while reducing redundancies created by rapid pandemic-era hiring and expanding investment in AI and automation.

Market and policy implications are nuanced. For investors, further corporate reductions can shave operating expenses and potentially improve margins, particularly if cuts target duplicated corporate functions. For labor markets, 30,000 corporate roles dispersed across Amazon’s offices could exert outsized effects in local tech hubs and on specialized talent pools even as the national unemployment impact would be modest. Policymakers and workforce agencies in affected regions may face short-term demand for retraining and placement services, especially in AI-related fields where demand for new skills is intensifying.

Company officials have not commented publicly on the timing or scope of the planned layoffs, and people familiar with the matter cautioned that timelines could change. As Amazon proceeds, the unfolding decisions will test the company’s ability to balance cost discipline with ongoing investments in AI, cloud infrastructure and consumer growth initiatives that remain central to its long-term strategy.