This directive goes beyond simple logistics to represent Amazon's overarching strategic goal of preserving its competitive advantage in a market that is extremely dynamic. Being physically close encourages impromptu conversations, speedier decision-making, and a greater sense of purpose, elements that are challenging to replicate virtually. With decades of operational experience, Amazon's leadership understands that real-time idea collisions foster innovation.

My friend from Amazon told me how she saw an entire team, including their manager, get laid off right in front of her eyes — all within seconds. The way they had to leave the office was honestly heartbreaking.

These layoffs are massive; entire orgs are being wiped out. The testing teams in Q3 and Q4 were the first to go. They collected company laptops on the spot, and that was it.

It’s rough out there right now.

Tech layoffs: Amazon Web Services (AWS) division gave hundreds of employees the pink slip from its cloud unit earlier this week. The major wave of job cuts comes just weeks after CEO Andy Jassy stated that AI will likely reduce the need for certain roles across Amazon. Analyst Amanda Goodall, who uses the handle “@thejobchick” on X(formerly Twitter) predicted that further job cuts are expected towards the end of this year.

Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning Tuesday, as the company works to pare expenses and compensate for overhiring during the peak demand of the pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The figure represents a small percentage of Amazon’s 1.55 million total employees, but nearly 10% of the company’s roughly 350,000 corporate employees. This would represent the largest job cut at Amazon since around 27,000 jobs were eliminated starting in late 2022.

Managers of impacted teams were asked to undergo training on Monday for how to communicate with staff following notifications that will start going out via email tomorrow morning

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/amazon-targets-many-30000-corporate-job-cuts-sources-say-2025-10-27/

What are your thoughts on this?

Key point summary:

• Amazon’s mass layoffs announced last month hit engineers the hardest, according to state filings.

• Nearly 40% of the roughly 4,700 positions eliminated across Washington, New York, New Jersey and California were engineering jobs.

• Video games, advertising and AI search were also significantly impacted

I am seeing layoffs left right centre in the past few days, post the 14,000 employee cut.

1. Every day is a nightmare. 4AM logins to check layoff is normal. Sleep is not part of the normal cycle and huge pile of work keeps waiting in the morning irrespective of weekday or weekend.

2. Every employee is either working because of - loans or emi or family commitments or they want to survive the job or may be they are the sole bread earner while cost of living is skyrocketting.

3. The top management is throwing lavish parties, the inner circle is enjoying as layoff have highlighted them in the news which in turn has pushed the stock prices high and have made them far rich.

4. Top management in the past few years have had ambitious milestones, they wanted amazon employees to innovate and take the company to the next level. The plan did not work out technically if someone fails they are either sacked or they step down because of non performance.. The harsh truth top exec have different rules than normal employees they are either made rich or they become rich.

In both positive and negative scenarios the top management is immune. But this trend has to be changed.

Update 25 Nov:

Sell Orders of amazon stocks as per SEC filing

Andy Jessey -> CEO -> https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000195917325007171/xsl144X01/primary_doc.xml

Matt Garman -> EX CEO -> https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000195917325007182/xsl144X01/primary_doc.xml

David Zapolsky -> SVP Legal -> https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000195917325007211/xsl144X01/primary_doc.xml

SHELLEY REYNOLDS -> SVP Accounts -> https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000195004725009209/xsl144X01/primary_doc.xml

The top guys should resign and amazon should become what it was few years back.

Right before the holidays is doubly brutal, hope you all are doing alright.

Andy Announced 2 weeks back about plans to layoff and we have already seen the first wave yesterday. There's a chance that they'll layoff more by the year end. I have two offers in hand. One from Amazon Gurgaon, India and other From Texas Instruments, Bangalore . Both are sde1 roles.

TC for Amazon : 26.5Lpa TC for TI: 28 LPA YOE: 6 month intern at Amazon.

Miserable existence

I was laid off yesterday.

My leader said: “This has nothing to do with your performance. This decision was not made lightly.”

Yet its so hard to think it’s not based on my performance. They kept people who had less tenure and experience than me (but paid the same)

I asked 100x over my course of tenure there to give me more exposure, to include me in more meetings, to give me more context. From the start, I felt left out. I was set up to fail and not given the opportunity to grow. They often took credit for the things that I BUILT.

Live and learn I guess.

An IT veteran here who has lived through my share of corporate transformations and layoffs reflecting on the BIG announcement from Amazon coming just before the holidays:

• The number (30,000) by itself is sizable; but there is going to be a lot more voluntary and involuntary RIFs that follow. Those may not be included in this 30K number.

  • For example, Amazon in India may not 'layoff' people but ask them to resign (with a severance benefit). Such RIF (cloaked as 'resignation') is not reported as a layoff.

• Amazon is just a canary in the coalmine. Other FAANG and IT services companies are following with their own RIFs - some making headlines others not

• Analysts are pointing at reasons like AI and Automation. While there is some of it, the real reason is global slowdown.

  • Just look at US, the largest market where Federal government shutdown is going to hit fed-workers paychecks and foodstamps too.

  • Consumers who don't have a job can't buy stuff - offline or on Amazon

• Offshoring and H1 - this is a big elephant in the room. Amazon has approximately 110,000 permanent employees in India across its corporate and fulfilment centres.

  • One can assume 20-25% of such "corporate employees," especially in IT and Business Services are in India

  • The Yin-Yang that Trump did with H1-B announcement hasn't helped matters. As of June 2025, Amazon had approximately 10,044 employees on H-1B visas, making it the largest sponsor of this visa category in the United States. Can these H1 jobs be offshored by laying off locally and hiring in India?

Amazon just laid off around 14,000 employees globally, including 2,303 in Seattle. The reason was simple on paper but complex in execution - each org was given a target to reduce operating expenses, which, in practice, meant headcount reductions across all levels (L4-L8).

These weren’t grassroots decisions. The calls were made by VPs/SVPs (L10/L11). Despite the org charts, most directors were kept out of it - a few were quietly “hinted,” but very few actually had a say. The direction came top-down and moved fast.

If you read the patterns, it’s clear there was a method to the madness: 1. Remote employees were targeted first. Fully remote roles had a flag. In a few orgs with humane leaders, some people were quietly given the option to relocate or align with a team location - those who accepted were selectively spared. Those who declined, even with solid performance, were dropped. Not everyone got this choice; it often depended on having a strong internal network or supportive L8/L10 leadership. 2. Extended leave cases came next - employees on or returning from maternity, paternity, or FMLA leave in 2025. Across orgs (especially TT/HV3), being out of sight unfortunately became a factor. 3. Once quotas still weren’t met, low performance bands (HV1s, and if needed HV2s) were tapped to close the gap.

The categories above are org, specific. I have observed this in 3 orgs. When I say org, I refer to anyone under an L8 leader. If you fall into any/all of the three above, and are still employed, you have someone higher above vouching for you or have L10 visibility high impact projects or belong to an org, which may have applied a different strategy or are simply very lucky. If your org has enough people on focus/HR escalations, it can be as simple as not employing the above flags and simply letting go of those folks.

It’s a hunting game of gazelles. The fastest ones still fell if they were remote or on leave; the slower ones got caught if the quotas weren’t filled.

A few strongly networked L6s/L7s with L8 or L10 backing managed to stay clear, but most didn’t have that safety net.

This first wave - 14K out of a rumored 30K - is likely just the beginning. Retail orgs may see action after Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and AWS after re:Invent. Expect a second major wave in January, with smaller aftershocks through November and February.

Behind the numbers are real people - friends, colleagues, and mentors. Some of the best Amazonians I know are suddenly updating résumés this week. It’s heartbreaking to watch brilliant, kind, and hardworking folks caught in something this mechanical.

So if you’re in a position to help, reach out to those impacted. Offer a referral, a conversation, or just empathy. Many could use a bit of humanity right now - both before and after whatever comes next.

Edit 1: Added caveats below the three criteria based on inputs. Added the focus/HR escalations as an override.

updated 10/28- 14,000 employees laid off.

Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning Tuesday, as the company works to pare expenses and compensate for overhiring during the peak demand of the pandemic, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The figure represents a small percentage of Amazon’s 1.55 million total employees, but nearly 10% of the company’s roughly 350,000 corporate employees. This would represent the largest job cut at Amazon since around 27,000 jobs were eliminated starting in late 2022.

I’ve heard that many BIEs and data professionals have been laid off recently. It’s quite unsettling to see, and I’m feeling anxious both as an employee, since it could happen at my company too and as a job seeker, knowing that many of those laid-off professionals will now be competing in the job market alongside me.