Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs globally to undo pandemic-era hiring amid AI push

Amazon said on Wednesday it was cutting 16,000 jobs worldwide in the second major round of layoffs at the company in ​three months, as it restructures after pandemic-era over-hiring and expands the adoption of ‌artificial intelligence tools, Report informs via Reuters.

Reuters first noted last week that Amazon was planning a second round of job cuts as part of a broader goal of trimming about 30,000 corporate roles, with the layoffs expected to affect workers in Amazon Web Services, retail, Prime Video and human resources departments.

Amazon slashed 14,000 white-collar ‌jobs in late October, with CEO Andy Jassy stressing the need for ​the company to eliminate excessive bureaucracy by trimming operational levels and reducing the number of managers.

"Some of you might ask if this is the beginning of a new rhythm – where ‍we announce broad reductions every few months. That's not our plan," said Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon.