Amazon has eliminated fewer than 1,000 white-collar positions, largely within its Stores division, as the company continues to reorganise after cutting nearly 30,000 jobs since late 2025. The latest reductions come as Amazon expands its AI operations and considers bringing some former employees back into the business.
Amazon has begun another round of corporate job reductions, with fewer than 1,000 employees reportedly affected as the technology and retail giant reshapes its organisation following months of workforce cuts.
The latest layoffs are concentrated largely in Amazon’s Stores division, which includes the company’s main online retail operation. Employees in the US, India and the UK are among those affected, according to people familiar with the matter and posts circulating on Amazon’s internal Slack channels, reports Business Insider.
Amazon confirmed the cuts but did not disclose a precise figure, reports Rueters. A company spokesperson said the changes were intended to create a structure better suited to the priorities of the Stores business.
The latest move follows a much larger restructuring programme that has removed almost 30,000 positions since the end of last year. Amazon eliminated about 14,000 roles in late 2025 and another 16,000 in January 2026, with reductions extending across several parts of the company.
More changes after 30,000 job cuts
The previous rounds were not confined to Amazon’s retail operation. Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud division, also experienced reductions, including cuts affecting management roles.
Founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos addressed the wider layoffs in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday. He said Amazon had expanded its workforce too aggressively during the pandemic, when consumers shifted heavily towards online shopping.
More from TechBezos said the extraordinary demand placed pressure on the company and led Amazon to increase its headcount substantially. As conditions normalised, the business was left with a larger workforce than it required, he said.
The company has presented the reductions as part of an effort to streamline its organisation rather than as a single response to falling demand.
Artificial intelligence is also changing how some employees work. Routine tasks in areas such as software development, debugging and system maintenance are increasingly being assisted by AI tools, allowing engineers to spend more time on system architecture and complicated technical problems.
That shift is creating a different mix of skills and responsibilities within some teams, even as Amazon continues to hire selectively in areas it considers strategically important.
Amazon looks to former employees for AI talent
While Amazon is cutting jobs, it has also been seeking experienced workers who have previously left the company, including some former employees affected by recent reductions.
The outreach has reportedly been particularly visible in artificial intelligence and machine learning, where Amazon is expanding its capabilities. Emails reviewed by Business Insider indicate that at least one former employee was contacted by an AWS finance recruiter about possible opportunities to return.
The recruiter also asked about whether Amazon’s return-to-office policy had played a role in the employee’s departure, according to the report. Former staff may have an advantage in re-entering the company because they already understand its systems and working practices.
The effort has reportedly been dubbed the “Swami’s Boomerang Reengagement Initiative”, referring to Swami Sivasubramanian, an AWS vice-president who leads Amazon’s AI agent organisation.
