Amazon Lays Off 14,000 Corporate Workers Amid AI-Fueled Restructuring

Tech giant Amazon has announced plans to lay off approximately 14,000 corporate employees as part of a sweeping effort to streamline operations and reduce costs amid a company wide restructuring.

The layoffs will affect several divisions, including Amazon’s books, devices, and services units, marking one of the largest corporate job cuts in the company’s history. While Amazon continues to expand its logistics and AI driven services, executives say the move is necessary to improve efficiency and position the company for long-term growth.

“We are reorganizing to better align with our strategic priorities and to operate with greater speed and focus,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

The cuts come despite record investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation programs that have reshaped many of the company’s internal operations. Analysts say the layoffs highlight how advances in AI are beginning to impact white collar corporate jobs, particularly in roles related to administration, support, and product management.

At the end of last year, Amazon employed around 1.56 million full time and part time workers globally, spanning its retail, cloud computing, and logistics divisions. The company has undergone a series of reorganizations since early 2024, when it began consolidating overlapping teams and reducing non core projects.

Industry experts view the restructuring as part of a broader trend across Silicon Valley, where major firms including Google, Meta, and Microsoft are prioritizing automation and AI integration over human led functions.

Despite the cuts, Amazon says it remains committed to hiring in high growth areas such as machine learning, cloud computing (AWS), and logistics innovation, even as it trims elsewhere.

“This is about efficiency, not contraction,” the company said. “We are preparing for the next decade of innovation.”

The announcement has sparked renewed debate over the balance between technological advancement and workforce stability in an era increasingly defined by AI-driven productivity.