Amazon is preparing to lay off as many as 30,000 corporate employees starting Tuesday, according to a report by Reuters. This is one of the company’s largest job reductions since 2022. The mass firing is expected to impact nearly 10% of the company’s corporate workforce. The move, aimed at restructuring operations and investing more in artificial intelligence and automation has triggered a storm of reactions across Reddit and X.
Users have accused the company of chasing short-term profits at the expense of its workforce, with some calling it “corporate greed dressed up as innovation.”
Internet reacts to Amazon’s mass layoffs
According to reports, the layoffs will largely impact sections such as People Experience and Technology, Devices and Services, and Operations. Teams working in communications, Alexa, and podcasting are also expected to be affected.
People online are criticising Amazon’s leadership and timing of the decision, just weeks before the holiday season. “I’m so old, I remember CEOs tearing up when announcing layoffs,” wrote one user, earning over 1.2K upvotes. Another quipped, “They still tear up, don’t worry, just that now it’s happiness because they know their bonus will be 8 figures.”
Several Reddit users blamed CEO Andy Jassy directly. “Ever since this person became CEO, it’s been two or three rounds of layoffs every year,” one user wrote. “He does this like clockwork because the stock goes up every time he does. His compensation is tied to stock options, so when the stock rises, he benefits.”
Many expressed frustration at the corporate culture behind such decisions. “We need to get back to the point where cutting heads is a negative for CEOs, not a positive,” one Redditor wrote. “Whether it’s from over-hiring or inefficiency, it’s still a sign of leadership failure.”
Another person summed up the mood with biting irony, “Nothing says holiday spirit like mass layoffs.”
AI is just ‘buzzword’
While Amazon has cited efficiency and technology as reasons behind the decision, many users believe AI is being used as a convenient excuse. “AI is just the buzzword they use to cover the actual economic slump,” wrote one user, earning hundreds of upvotes. Others agreed that artificial intelligence hasn’t yet reached a point where it can replace these corporate roles. “AI can’t fill these jobs yet. Companies are using it to justify layoffs they wanted to do anyway,” one commenter said.
“The pandemic was five years ago. This is in response to the current economy about to fall off a cliff,” wrote one user.
Amazon to lay off 30,000 corporate employees
According to CNN, managers in the affected departments have reportedly been told to prepare for the announcement. Employee notifications are scheduled to begin via email on Tuesday morning. The move is similar to Amazon’s previous communication strategy during layoffs.
Amazon has around 350,000 corporate employees and a total workforce of 1.55 million people globally. While the company has not issued an official comment, insiders suggest that the job cuts will be implemented in phases over the coming weeks. Amazon previously slashed around 27,000 jobs in 2022 and 2023.
Despite the bad news for employees, the market reacted positively, with Amazon’s stock rising 1.5% to $227.53.
