Amazon is making a fresh round of corporate job cuts that will affect about 16,000 roles, with the company’s top people executive Beth Galetti telling staff the move is part of an ongoing effort to slim down management layers and speed up decision making.
In a message shared with employees and published by the company, Galetti said some teams finished earlier reorganisations announced in October, but others did not complete the work until now.
She said the latest changes would again prioritise internal redeployment, with most US based employees given 90 days to try to secure another role inside Amazon.
Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, said in a message to employees: “We’ve been working to strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.”
For workers who do not move into a new role, Amazon said it would provide transition support including severance, outplacement services and health insurance benefits where applicable, with timing outside the US varying by local requirements.
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Galetti said Amazon would continue hiring in “strategic areas” even as it trims other parts of the corporate workforce.
The announcement follows an earlier reduction of about 14,000 corporate roles flagged in October, taking the total to around 30,000 cuts over roughly three months, according to Reuters.
Reuters also reported the combined reductions amount to nearly 10% of Amazon’s corporate workforce, even though they represent a small share of the company’s broader global headcount, which is heavily weighted to fulfilment and logistics roles.
Galetti acknowledged staff might fear a new cycle of regular layoff announcements, but said that was not the intent.
Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, said in a message to employees: “That’s not our plan.”
Reuters reported the cuts land as chief executive Andy Jassy continues a broader reset.
That reset has included exiting underperforming initiatives, including the decision this week to close remaining Amazon Fresh grocery stores and Go markets, and to drop its Amazon One palm scanning payment system.
