Amazon Announces 16,000 Layoffs as AI Investment and Anti-Bureaucracy Push Intensifies

Summary

Amazon announced on January 28, 2026, that it will cut approximately 16,000 corporate roles as part of an organizational overhaul aimed at "reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy." This is the company's second round of large-scale layoffs in three months, following 14,000 cuts in October 2025 — bringing the total to 30,000 corporate layoffs in under 120 days. Beth Galetti, Amazon's SVP of People Experience and Technology, stated that affected US-based employees will rec