January 28, 2026
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Amazon Announces Additional 16,000 Job Cuts in Ongoing Reorganization

Amazon said Wednesday it will cut another 16,000 jobs across the company, just three months after eliminating 14,000 roles as part of a broad efficiency drive, according to a blog post by senior vice president Beth Galetti. The latest cuts hit teams that had not yet completed restructuring following October’s layoffs, and come as large U.S. employers increasingly talk about 'doing more with fewer people' through AI productivity gains, reversing pandemic over‑hiring, and reducing costs amid persistent inflation. Galetti wrote that while the company is trimming staff, it will continue hiring and investing in 'strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future,' saying Amazon is still in the early stages of building each of its businesses. The move fits into what analysts and workers have dubbed 'forever layoffs,' in which companies opt for serial rounds of smaller cuts rather than a single mass downsizing, and follows recent job‑cut announcements at UPS and Pinterest that have stoked worries about how automation and tighter margins are reshaping white‑ and blue‑collar work. For U.S. workers and policymakers, Amazon’s latest retrenchment is another data point in a labor market where headline unemployment remains low but major corporate employers are quietly paring headcount and retooling for an AI‑heavy future.

Corporate Layoffs and Restructuring Amazon and Big Tech Labor

📌 Key Facts

  • Amazon will cut an additional 16,000 jobs, on top of 14,000 positions eliminated in October 2025.
  • Senior vice president Beth Galetti said the new cuts affect teams that had not finished reorganizing after the prior layoff round.
  • Galetti stated that Amazon will keep hiring in 'strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future' even as it reduces overall headcount.
  • The company framed the move as part of a wider trend of using AI productivity gains, correcting post‑pandemic over‑hiring, and cutting costs under inflation pressure.

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January 28, 2026
10:54 AM
Amazon cutting another 16,000 jobs
Axios by Ben Berkowitz