Amazon to Cut Up to 30,000 Corporate Jobs in Major 2026 Restructuring

Amazon is preparing to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs, with the first wave of layoffs expected to begin as early as next week, according to reports citing internal planning and company briefings. The reductions are expected to affect approximately 10% of Amazon’s global corporate workforce, marking one of the largest white-collar job cuts in the company’s history. The layoffs will primarily impact corporate and administrative teams, including roles within Amazon Web Services (AWS), People Experience & Technology (human resources), retail operations, devices, and internal business support functions. Frontline warehouse and logistics roles are not expected to be affected at the same scale.

Amazon employs more than 1.5 million people globally, but leadership has made clear that the company is reassessing how its corporate workforce is structured as it enters 2026. The job cuts come as Amazon works to reduce management layers, simplify decision-making, and lower operating costs across the organisation. The restructuring is not driven by declining revenue. Instead, it reflects a strategic shift toward efficiency and automation. Amazon has significantly expanded its use of artificial intelligence and automated systems across planning, forecasting, customer operations, and internal reporting. As these tools take on more responsibility, roles that were once supported by large teams are being consolidated or eliminated. CEO Andy Jassy has previously stated that Amazon is focused on becoming a “leaner” organisation, with fewer bureaucratic processes and faster execution. The latest round of layoffs builds on earlier workforce reductions over the past two years, signalling that the company’s transformation is ongoing rather than temporary.

Amazon’s move mirrors a broader trend across the technology sector, where large companies are reducing headcount while continuing to invest heavily in AI, cloud infrastructure, and core product innovation. Growth is increasingly being driven by technology leverage rather than workforce expansion, redefining how scale is achieved inside major organisations. The impact extends beyond Amazon itself. Large-scale layoffs at a company of this size often influence investor expectations across the startup and venture ecosystem, reinforcing a focus on operational discipline, clear revenue models, and sustainable growth. At the same time, experienced talent re-enters the market, reshaping hiring dynamics across tech and entrepreneurship. Amazon’s planned job cuts underscore a structural shift underway across the industry. As automation becomes embedded in corporate operations, organisational strength is being redefined - not by the size of a workforce, but by how effectively technology is used to execute, adapt, and scale.