Analysis · Commerce & Consumer Brands

Amazon cuts 16,000 corporate staff worldwide in January 2026

By Startup Enthusiast · 29 January 2026

What they do

Amazon is a global technology company offering e-commerce, cloud computing, and digital streaming services

The company laid off 16,000 corporate employees globally in January 2026, bringing the total to ~30,000 in four months

Affected departments include Prime Video, AWS, and HR, with 500-700 layoffs reported in Indian offices

Amazon announced 16,000 corporate job cuts worldwide in January 2026.
This brings the total corporate layoffs to approximately 30,000 over the past four months.
The cuts represent about 9% of Amazon's total corporate workforce of 350,000.
CEO Andy Jassy has overseen more than 57,000 corporate layoffs since taking office in mid-2021.
SVP Beth Galetti authored the internal memo detailing the restructuring plans.
US employees received a 90-day window to search for internal roles within the company.
Severance packages included transition pay, outplacement services, and health insurance benefits.
An AWS SVP leaked the news early via an erroneous email titled 'Project Dawn'.

Jassy stated in June 2025 that AI efficiency gains would reduce the corporate workforce long-term.
October 2025 layoffs were driven by culture and restructuring rather than financial or AI factors.
UPS also cut 30,000 jobs to reduce low-margin deliveries associated with Amazon.

Amazon operates global e-commerce platforms and provides cloud computing services through AWS.
AWS generated $33 billion in revenue in Q3 2025, up 20% year-over-year.
Parent company Amazon reported $180 billion in revenue with $17.4 billion operating income.
Affected business units include Prime Video, AWS, and software development engineering teams.
Amazon is closing over 70 US brick-and-mortar stores like Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh.
Some closed locations are being converted into Whole Foods market stores.
Indian operations in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru saw 500-700 employee layoffs.

Employees are offered internal job search windows and severance support during the transition.
Physical retail stores will close or convert to Whole Foods formats in the US.