Amazon Cuts 14,000 Jobs in Major Corporate Layoff Amid AI-Driven Restructuring

Amazon, the e-commerce and cloud computing giant, has launched one of the largest rounds of corporate layoffs in its history, eliminating approximately 14,000 positions across its global workforce—a move affecting staff from operations to human resources and technology teams. 

14,000 corporate roles eliminated—representing about 4% of Amazon’s ~350,000 corporate workforce. These layoffs are part of a broader restructuring tied to the company’s shift toward artificial intelligence (AI) and efforts to streamline operations and reduce bureaucracy. Earlier media reports indicated that cuts could eventually affect up to 30,000 corporate positions, though the company’s official announcement confirmed the 14,000 figure so far. Globally, the total Amazon workforce remains around 1.5–1.56 million employees, meaning corporate cuts account for a sizeable but relatively small share of overall staffing.

Reasons Cited by Amazon Leadership

Amazon’s leadership has repeatedly linked layoffs to organizational restructuring amid rapid technological change:

• Artificial Intelligence implementation—CEO Andy Jassy has indicated generative AI will reshape work processes and reduce the company’s need for certain roles. 
• Reducing bureaucracy and flattening hierarchies—senior executives, including Amazon India’s Amit Agarwal, say cuts aim to simplify the organization and foster agility akin to a startup. 
• Realigning resources—the company is shifting focus toward key strategic areas like AI, cloud infrastructure, and automation while trimming roles deemed less central to future growth. 

The layoffs are concentrated in corporate and support functions, including human resources and people experience, finance and Administration, technology, Operations and Advertising units. Some engineering roles have also been impacted, with state filings showing hundreds of engineers laid off in key U.S. locations such as California and Washington.

In India, Amazon is reported to be cutting between 800 and 1,000 jobs as part of the same global restructuring drive, mainly affecting corporate functions such as finance, marketing, HR, and tech teams.

Amazon’s layoffs form part of a much wider wave of job cuts in the tech sector during 2025:

Across the tech industry, more than 112,000 jobs have been eliminated at over 200 companies, driven by automation, AI adoption, economic uncertainty, and strategic pivots. Other major tech firms such as Microsoft, Intel, Google, and Oracle have also cut thousands of roles this year.

Support for Affected Employees

Amazon states that impacted workers will receive assistance, including:

90 days to apply for open positions internally, severance packages, outplacement services, and continued health benefits for a transitional period. 

Industry analysts view these layoffs 

A shift to AI-driven operations, where automation reduces reliance on human labor for routine tasks. A need for large tech firms to remain lean and competitively agile amid slowing growth in traditional e-commerce. A signal that even profitable companies with strong cash flows are recalibrating headcounts to focus on future-oriented business segments.