Are the details of the renumeration of how many months that the amazon is liable to pay to employee as a part of severance, not mentioned in the terms of employment? or is not informed at all beforehand?

4 year tenure. $160K base salary. I know the calculation for PIP severance. Wondering what the severance would be for layoff

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.

I'm an L7 who got let go from Amazon in a mass layoff (i.e., not performance related). Does anyone know if Amazon negotiates severance at all or is it more of a "take it or leave it" situation?

Recently took severance instead of pivot. I was given the option last week. And I took it on Tuesday. I get paid on Fridays, but my direct deposit normally hits on Wednesday. I checked A to Z and only see my regular paystub with no severance attached. How long does it normally take? And does it normally come separately?

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.

I got put on focus 1 month ago. The task involved customer facing change and expectation was to take it to prod. Having almost delivered the task, I was expecting good remark from my manager but was surprised to hear their opinion (they aren’t happy with my delivery). My 6weeks of focus will be done soon and afaik, I’ll be offered with either pip or severance. How do I go about telling my manager that I want severance instead?

How much severance do people get btw?

Is it possible that Amazon put employees in Focus/Pivot then announce layoff? I heard they did it in 2023/2024 layoffs, but I am trying to see if I should wait till end of Focus to ask for FMLA, or FMLA the sooner the better before they announce the layoff by end of Q1 2025 that will be earlier than my stock vest period in May? I am emotionally exhausted at this point to plan for the best course of actions for myself.

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.

Goodbye Amazon! I started as a delivery driver then jumped to L4 AM (university hire) been with the company 5 years and just left as an L5.

Had the biggest smile walking out the door after turning badge in.

Moving on to a better gig with a $20k pay bump and a $17k severance package from Amazon. My departure was perfectly calculated with a little bit of luck.

Happy holidays and best of luck to everyone in here! Y’all have made me laugh over the last few years

Is there anyone here who recently went through the pivot/PIP process and was offered the payout?

Can you drop in your base salary, tenure, and the amount they offered you?

Trying to calculate how much I’ll get when the inevitable happens :)

UPDATE - Already in the comments but bringing up here. Thank you u/MrHaVoC805!

Payout = 10 weeks of base pay + (basepay * 1%) * (tenure in months /12)

My example
Pivot Payment - Pre-Tax: $24,495.63
Base Annual: $88,600
Tenure: 8.42 years (101 months)

$88,600/52 = $1,703.85
$1,703.85 * 10 = $17,038.46
$88,600 x 0.01 = $886

$24,495.63 = $17,038.46 + ($886 x (101/12))

After taxes, I ended up with closer to $17.5k (absolute robbery) but that of course depends on your own tax deductions.

Hi all. Couldn't do it anymore. I accepted the "Leave Amazon" option of the pivot plan that was presented to me. I come from NACF. My GM and HRBP didn't know the exact date the payment would be disbursed to me. Has anyone else gone through this processes? If so how long after your termination date did you receive this lump sum to your account? My last day was yesterday. Woke up this morning and I no longer have access to the network. Last question, is it normal for the termination letter to say involuntary when choosing the leave Amazon option? I hope you have a good day. I'm oddly at peace with this decision and can finally breath.

Got a final written. Walked out by HR and signed my appeal for I believe I don’t deserve. Written up for mediums rate being to low. I get put on south and idk how everyone’s building is set up. But south side gets nothing but single item boxes or totes. There’s been no work at my site for weeks. Vto out the ass. I can’t control what’s coming to my station. But I’ve only gotten single items(tide pods, “ice flavored water”) the usual. So hopefully my appeal goes my way. *Also noted I’ve been working for Amazon for 5 years 11 months. 7 managers and all my write ups have come from current manager. Older guy, I believe has it out for me. Most importantly just wanted to know if anyone has gotten severance pay? In case my appeal doesn’t go my way