Amazon is bracing for another significant round of job cuts, with the tech giant expected to announce fresh layoffs as early as January 27. The move could affect around 16,000 employees globally and forms part of a broader restructuring exercise that may see close to 30,000 corporate roles eliminated by mid-2026. This round is expected to have a wider geographic impact, with India-based teams likely to be more affected than in previous cuts.
According to multiple media reports and employee discussions on platforms such as Blind and Reddit, the layoffs are expected to be rolled out across teams and geographies. Employees in Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Prime Video are believed to be among those facing potential cuts. The latest round would follow the first phase of Amazon’s restructuring, launched in late 2025, when the company laid off about 14,000 white-collar employees in October.
Amazon’s broader layoff plan
A Reuters report late last year said Amazon was planning to cut around 30,000 corporate jobs as part of a wider overhaul. The company later confirmed the elimination of roughly 14,000 roles. The upcoming round is expected to mark the second phase of the process, potentially taking the total number of job losses close to 30,000—surpassing even the 27,000 layoffs Amazon carried out between 2022 and 2023.
Amazon currently employs about 1.57 million people worldwide. However, the cuts are focused on its corporate workforce, which accounts for roughly 350,000 employees globally.
Who is likely to be impacted
The expected layoffs are likely to span several key divisions, including AWS, Prime Video, retail operations and the People Experience and Technology (PXT) division, Amazon’s internal HR arm. India-based corporate teams—particularly in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai—are seen as especially vulnerable this time.
Timeline and notices
Employee posts on platforms such as Reddit, Blind and LinkedIn suggest the layoff process could begin early in the week of January 27. Some employees have claimed that managers and senior leaders have already flagged the possibility of cuts. Others have said employees currently on performance improvement plans (PIPs) may be informed ahead of the broader workforce.
There are also indications that advance notices may already be underway. Earlier reports suggested that between 1,000 and 2,000 employees received WARN notices ahead of the expected layoff date. Under US law, companies are required to issue such notices prior to mass layoffs, though Amazon has not officially commented on the timing or scale of the cuts.
Why Amazon is cutting jobs
Amazon has said the restructuring is aimed at long-term organisational changes rather than short-term cost savings. CEO Andy Jassy has previously stated that the layoffs are “not really financially driven” and “not even really AI-driven,” but are intended to address internal inefficiencies and what he has described as excessive bureaucracy.
Jassy has argued that years of rapid expansion have resulted in multiple layers of management, slowing down decision-making and innovation. That said, artificial intelligence continues to play a role in Amazon’s strategy. The company has been automating internal processes across HR, software development and customer support, while trimming managerial and administrative roles—particularly in teams that support operations rather than directly build products or services.