Amazon is preparing to eliminate around 14,000 corporate positions as early as next week, according to sources familiar with the plans, completing a sweeping reduction of its white-collar workforce.
The cuts, which could begin from Tuesday, would form the second phase of a restructuring programme aimed at removing 30,000 corporate roles across the company. The move would mark the largest layoffs in Amazon’s 30-year history, surpassing the roughly 27,000 positions eliminated in 2022.
Chief executive Andy Jassy attributed the reductions to excessive layers of management rather than financial pressures during the company’s third-quarter earnings call. “It’s not really financially driven and it’s not even really AI-driven. It’s culture,” he told analysts.
The planned redundancies follow approximately 14,000 white-collar roles cut in October, accounting for nearly half of the 30,000-job reduction target first reported by Reuters. Staff from those October redundancies were placed on a 90-day notice period, which expires on Monday, and have remained on payroll whilst seeking internal positions.
Key divisions expected to face cuts include Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing arm, alongside its core retail business, Prime Video streaming service, and the human resources division known internally as People Experience and Technology.
The reductions would impact almost 10 per cent of Amazon’s corporate workforce but represent only a small share of the company’s total 1.58 million employees, most of whom work in fulfilment centres and warehouses. Jeff Bezos founded the technology giant in 1994.
Sources cautioned that the final scope of the cuts remains unclear and could extend beyond initially identified areas. They warned that exact details have not been finalised and could change before any official announcement.
In an internal message, Amazon described artificial intelligence as the most significant technological shift since the birth of the internet, enabling faster business innovation. The company has declined to comment on the reports.
Amazon is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings on February 5. The company’s shares have edged higher since the start of the year after a largely flat performance throughout 2025.
