In a huge move to trim costs, Amazon plans to lay off up to 30,000 corporate workers starting October 28, 2025. This is the company’s biggest job cut ever, more than the 27,000 positions it removed in 2022 and 2023. Reports from Reuters and other news outlets say the layoffs will hit important departments aras like logistics, payments, video games, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm.
Emails to affected employees will go out on Tuesday morning, sources say.Amazon has about 1.55 million workers worldwide, mostly in warehouses. But the corporate side, with around 350,000 staff, faces the biggest hit—nearly 10% of that group. These layoffs come after years of fast hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2017 to 2022, Amazon’s office staff tripled as online shopping accelerated at a huge pace . Now, with sales slowing and costs rising, CEO Andy Jassy wants to “right-size” the team. In June, Jassy warned that AI tools could replace some white-collar jobs, pushing for more efficiency.Strategic Insights:
Why Now?
This layoff is part of a smart plan to focus on growth areas like AI and automation. Amazon is spending over $100 billion in 2025 on AI projects, up from $83 billion last year. Most of that cash goes to AWS, which helps run AI for other companies. By cutting jobs, Amazon frees up money to build robots and smart systems.
Recent plans show Amazon aims to replace 600,000 warehouse roles with machines by 2033, even as it doubles sales.The timing ties to failed efforts to shrink staff quietly. Amazon’s strict return-to-office rule—five days a week—pushed some to quit without severance, but not enough.
HR could lose 15% of its team, per Fortune. This follows smaller cuts in 2024 and 2025 across units. Like rivals Microsoft (15,000 jobs cut) and Google, Amazon sees AI as a way to do more with less. Tech firms have axed 98,000 jobs this year alone, per Layoffs.fyi, often blaming AI.
Looking Forward: A Leaner, Smarter Amazon
These changes hint a shift to a future where tech drives profits. Workers hit by layoffs get severance and job help, but many in tech fear more cuts. For Amazon, the upside is clear: lower costs could increse stock prices and fund AI bets. If successful, AWS might lead the AI boom, accelerating Amazon stronger against competitors like Microsoft Azure.
Employees should upskill in AI to stay relevant—free courses from Amazon’s own programs could help. Investors see this as a positive reset, but it highlights a tough job market. As Jassy said, “Fewer people will be needed in some areas.” The path ahead is efficient but uncertain, urging all to adapt fast.
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