Amazon Continues Layoff Spree, Announces Second Round of Job Cuts Affecting 9,000 Employees

Amazon Inc has announced that it will be laying off around 9,000 employees across departments such as AWS, People, Experience, and Technology (PXT), Advertising, and Twitch. CEO Andy Jassy stated in a memo to employees that while it was a difficult decision, it was necessary for the company’s long-term success.

Several tech companies, including Meta, have also announced layoffs. Amazon’s decision comes just two months after the company announced that it was laying off 18,000 employees. In November 2022, Jassy announced a voluntary reduction offer to some in the PXT, and in January, he announced the elimination of 18,000 roles, primarily in Amazon Stores and PXT.

Jassy stated in the memo that the newly announced role reductions weren’t combined with the previous announcement as not all teams had finished their analyses at the time. He also mentioned that the impacted teams had not yet made final decisions on precisely which roles would be affected, and the company expects to complete this by mid-to-late April.

Amazon has assured that it will provide support for employees who are being laid off, including a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support. The company had paid out $640 million in severance packages for the layoffs in December and January.