Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs in second major layoff round within three months
The ecommerce giant announced Wednesday it is eliminating approximately 16,000 corporate positions globally, following 14,000 job cuts in October.
January 28, 2026
Amazon announced Wednesday that it is cutting approximately 16,000 corporate jobs globally, marking the second major round of layoffs within three months. Beth Galetti, senior vice president of the ecommerce company, disclosed the reductions in a blog post and message to employees.
The cuts follow a round of job eliminations in October 2025, when Amazon laid off 14,000 corporate workers. Combined, the two rounds total more than 30,000 job losses in roughly three months. According to Reuters, Amazon is working toward a broader objective of cutting around 30,000 corporate positions overall.
The layoffs will affect employees across multiple divisions, including Amazon Web Services, retail operations, Prime Video, and the human resources department. U.S.-based staff will be given 90 days to search for new positions internally, with timelines varying internationally based on local and national requirements.
Galetti stated that employees unable to secure a new role within Amazon or who choose not to pursue one will receive severance pay, outplacement services, and health insurance benefits where applicable.
The company emphasized that it does not plan to establish a recurring pattern of broad layoffs every few months. "But just as we always have, every team will continue to evaluate the ownership, speed, and capacity to invent for customers, and make adjustments as appropriate," Galetti said.
Galetti noted that while some teams completed organizational changes in October, others did not finalize that work until now. She added that Amazon will continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions deemed critical to the company's future.
The reductions come as Amazon addresses workforce expansion that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when millions of people remained home and increased online spending, causing the company's workforce to double. In 2023, Amazon had cut 27,000 jobs, making the current layoffs the largest since that year.
The company has attributed the restructuring to the need to eliminate excessive bureaucracy and redirect resources toward artificial intelligence initiatives. Amazon employs approximately 1.5 million people worldwide.