Amazon’s Jassy Says Layoffs to Stretch Into ‘23

Amazon’s job cuts will continue into next year, adding to those that have already been announced, as the company’s leaders are only midway through their annual operating planning review. 

So said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in a message to employees that was also posted online. 

“Leaders across the company are working with their teams and looking at their workforce levels, investments they want to make in the future, and prioritizing what matters most to customers and the long-term health of our businesses,” Jassy said in the message. “This year’s review is more difficult due to the fact that the economy remains in a challenging spot and we’ve hired rapidly the last several years.” 

Noting that Amazon recently announced job cuts in its Devices and Books businesses, and a voluntary reduction offer in its People, Experience, and Technology (PXT) organization, Jassy said there will be additional role reductions at the company. He said the number has not yet been determined, but that it will include more cuts in the PXT and Stores teams. 

“Amazon has weathered uncertainty and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so,” Jassy said. “We have big opportunities ahead, both in our more established businesses like Stores, Advertising and AWS, but also in our newer initiatives that we’ve been working on for a number of years and have conviction in pursuing (e.g. Prime Video, Alexa, Kuiper, Zoox and Healthcare).” 

The message comes three days after the New York Times reported that the retailer is looking to lay off 10,000 employees this month in what is the first and largest such move in its history. 

The company currently has over 1.5 million global employees, meaning a layoff of this scale would represent about a 0.5% headcount reduction.