Amazon tells workers it will cut 16,000 jobs worldwide after layoff email sent in error
Amazon said it will cut 16,000 jobs globally as it streamlines operations, marking another major reduction after layoffs announced a few months ago. The announcement followed an internal meeting invite that appeared to include a draft layoff email that was sent to some AWS staff by mistake.
Amazon has told employees it plans to eliminate 16,000 jobs worldwide as part of a restructuring effort aimed at reducing layers and bureaucracy, the company said Wednesday. The cuts represent a second large wave of layoffs after Amazon disclosed another major round of reductions roughly three months earlier, as the company continues to recalibrate after pandemic-era hiring growth.
The company said the majority of the job losses are expected to be in the United States, though some positions in other countries could also be affected. Amazon employs roughly 1.5 million workers globally, and the reductions are framed as an effort to streamline operations rather than a broad retreat from hiring, with leadership emphasizing continued investment in strategic areas.
The announcement drew added attention because it came shortly after some workers at Amazon Web Services (AWS) received what appeared to be an accidental communication connected to the layoffs. Reports said an online meeting invitation, later canceled, included a draft message indicating the cuts and suggesting affected employees in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica had already been notified—language that turned out to be incorrect.
According to the report, the draft email was signed by a senior AWS executive and referred to the effort with an internal project name. The message described the changes as difficult but necessary as Amazon positions AWS and the broader organization for the next stage of growth. Multiple outlets reported seeing the material after it circulated internally.
In a separate communication, Amazon executive Beth Galetti, senior vice-president of people experience and technology, told staff the company is pursuing “additional organisational changes” to strengthen teams by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy. She also tried to reassure employees that Amazon does not intend to make broad layoffs a regular cadence, even as multiple rounds have occurred within a short period.
For US-based employees who are affected, the company said it will provide a window to seek internal transfers before employment ends, though timing and processes vary by country. The company also said it will keep hiring in areas viewed as critical, attempting to balance cost control with ongoing investment and competition in cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
The layoffs arrive as broader corporate America continues to assess how automation and AI tools may reshape staffing needs. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has previously warned that some white-collar roles could be changed or reduced by AI in coming years. That context has sharpened scrutiny of cuts inside AWS, a core profit engine and one of the company’s most strategically important divisions.
Amazon’s move also comes on a day when other logistics and delivery companies have signaled reductions, highlighting continued pressure on costs and margins across parts of the tech and delivery ecosystem. For Amazon, the near-term challenge is executing the restructuring while maintaining momentum in cloud services and AI products—areas where competition remains intense.