The American giant Amazon announced on Wednesday that it will eliminate about 16,000 jobs at the corporate level, in the second major round of layoffs in recent months, part of a wide process of restructuring and streamlining operations, reports CNBC.
Amazon announces layoffs of 16,000 employees. PHOTO: Shutterstock
This decision comes after the company announced in October 2025 that it would cut 14,000 positions, and the new cuts bring the total to approximately 30,000 jobs eliminated as part of the reorganization plan, representing nearly 10% of the corporate workforce estimated at 350,000 employees.
In a message published on the company's blog, Beth Galetti, senior vice president of employee experience and technology, explained that the goal of these measures is to reduce red tape, increase internal accountability and streamline the organizational structure to accelerate innovation and adaptation to new technologies.
Affected employees in the United States will have 90 days to look for another role within Amazon, and those who do not find or opt for another position will receive compensation, outplacement services and health insurance benefits.
CEO Andy Jassy has previously pointed out that corporate workforce reductions are being driven by increased automation and the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. In internal messages and statements last year, Jassy had said that AI technologies will rewrite how work is done, eventually leading to the need for fewer employees for certain functions while creating new roles in other areas.
Although Amazon continues to report strong financial results — the company posted a significant quarterly profit in recent reports — management says the restructuring is not caused by immediate financial problems, but by the need to eliminate management levels and make the organization more nimble after a period of rapid expansion during the pandemic.
Amid these changes, the company also announced the closure of Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores as part of a refocus on strategic priorities such as AI, automation and data centers.
The layoffs at Amazon fit into a broader context of the tech industry, where major companies are taking similar steps to adjust cost structures, respond to automatic changes in the labor market and focus on developing emerging technologies.
