Amazon has announced it will lay off around 16,000 corporate employees globally as part of a broader effort to simplify its organisational structure.
The company said it will support affected workers with severance pay, career transition services and, in the US, up to 90 days to look for internal roles before separation.
This latest round of cuts follows previous layoffs of about 14,000 corporate staff in October 2025, bringing total job reductions to roughly 30,000.
E-commerce giant Amazon has announced it will lay off approximately 16,000 corporate employees globally, marking the second major round of job cuts in just three months as part of ongoing efforts to streamline its organisation and improve operational efficiency.
The company revealed the reductions in a press note written by Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon. Galetti said the changes were part of a broader effort to reduce layers of management, increase individual ownership and remove unnecessary bureaucracy across the company.
1 January 2026
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“The reductions we are making today will impact approximately 16,000 roles across Amazon, and we're again working hard to support everyone whose role is impacted. That starts with offering most US-based employees 90 days to look for a new role internally (timing will vary internationally based on local and country level requirements). Then, 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, health insurance benefits (as applicable), and more," Galetti said.
"While we’re making these changes, we’ll also continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future. We’re still in the early stages of building every one of our businesses and there’s significant opportunity ahead," she further stated.
Galetti also stressed that this round of layoffs is not planned to be a regular occurrence. “Some of you might ask if this is the beginning of a new rhythm where we announce broad reductions every few months. That’s not our plan,” she wrote.
This latest round of job cuts comes days after Amazon accidentally sent an internal email to employees at its cloud unit, Amazon Web Services (AWS), which caused confusion and concern among staff.
According to Reuters, the email spoke about fresh layoffs even though employees had not been formally informed about any such move. The message, signed by Colleen Aubrey, Senior Vice President of Applied AI Solutions at AWS, wrongly stated that affected employees in the US, Canada and Costa Rica had already been notified about losing their jobs.
The confusion deepened as the email carried the subject line “Project Dawn” and was later recalled or cancelled shortly after it was sent. At the time, Amazon did not clarify what “Project Dawn” meant or whether the email was shared prematurely.
Now, with Amazon officially announcing the layoffs, the earlier email appears to have been sent by mistake, explaining why employees were left puzzled when it first surfaced.
The job cuts also follow the e-commerce giant's plan to reduce 30,000 employees and under this plan it had already reduced 14,000 staff in October 2025.
Despite the cuts, Amazon said it will continue to hire and invest in key strategic areas that are critical for its long-term growth. Galetti stated the organisation is still in the early stages of building many of its businesses and sees “significant opportunity ahead,” including expanded investment in technology and innovation.
