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Published Jan 28, 2026, 12:18 PM EST
Leo is a professional writer, having worked in the journalistic field for many years. In that time, he has covered breaking political news, in-depth analyses of true crime, and a few more lighthearted topics such as entertainment, culture, and travel. His writing can be found at various outlets, including Rare, Wide Open Country, and PC Invasion.
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Amazon, which employs around 1.5 million people around the world, has announced a further 16,000 layoffs across the company. They have stated that it is an effort to streamline the company in areas that could function with less human cost.
The new spate of layoffs comes only a few months after they cut 14,000 jobs company-wide. The majority of the job cuts will be in the US; however, there are multiple layoffs also expected in the UK. At present, the share isn't clear.
Amazon states that they are cutting jobs in order to streamline the company. As their business model changes, technology advances, and AI becomes more capable, many bureaucratic jobs can be cut completely or simply automated. This re-shuffling and re-planning comes to the tune of 16,000 lost jobs.
People laid off in the US will be given 90 days to find a new job within the company. Other countries affected will have varying time scales and redundancy packages. In an apologetic blog post, Beth Galetti, the senior vice-president of people experience and technology, laid it all out.
For teammates who are unable to find a new role at Amazon or who choose not to look for one, we'll provide transition support including severance pay, outplacement services, and health insurance benefits.
Many sections within Amazon will be completely unaffected by the 16,000 job cuts. The main focus of the layoffs is in the paper-pushing areas. They aim to "strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy." AI automation will be able to do the same jobs much faster and significantly cheaper.
The company has reassured its employees that although they have had two waves of layoffs in only a few months, this isn't part of a new rhythm. The past two staff culls are just a one-off major adjustment for the company. They don't plan to keep losing staff every few months.
The blog post doesn't say there won't ever be more, though. As Galetti states in her post, "every team will continue to evaluate the ownership, speed, and capacity to invent for customers, and make adjustments as appropriate." The employees might have missed being axed this time around, but the company is still very much performance-based.
Amazon is a massive international company employing more than 1.5 million people across the world. For many, the layoff won't mean the loss of a job; it may just force a move of location, some retraining, and a change in department. As the company evolves, so do its needs for the human staff.
English (US) ·