Amazon is reportedly planning a second massive round of reductions to jobs as it moves toward the target of 30,000 corporate job cuts.
The cuts represent about 10% of Amazon’s corporate staff, and are Amazon’s largest job cuts in history.
At the time of the first half of job cuts, management said they were mainly due to advances in AI. However, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, later backtracked during an earnings call that the layoffs were “not really financially driven and it’s not even really AI-driven.”
Peter Fedoročko, CTO of GoodData said, “Amazon’s decision to cut another 14,000 corporate roles is a signal that even the big names are rethinking the realities of automation and post-pandemic scaling.
Many companies overexpanded during a period of cheap capital and rapid digital acceleration. Now, they’re confronting what happens when AI, automation, and market efficiency collide with over-hiring.
“The takeaway isn’t necessarily cost-cutting – it’s about system design. How do we integrate tech? The companies that succeed will be those that use AI in core workflows early, understand which functions can be automated safely, and reallocate human talent toward higher-order problem-solving.
“AI isn’t eliminating the human factor; it’s redefining it. The value now lies in those who can design, monitor, and collaborate with automated systems – not compete against them. The future belongs to organisations that treat AI not as a headcount reduction tool, but as a tool to benefit the workforce. It’s not humans vs machines, it’s about giving the humans the best chance to succeed using a technology that isn’t going away.”
