Amazon lays off 14,000 people - what's next for the company?

Amazon confirmed this morning it is cutting 14,000 employees from its corporate workforce.

In a letter sent to employees earlier today, the Senior Vice President of “People Experience and Technology” – basically, HR – at Amazon quoted CEO Andy Jassey, saying “we want to operate like the world’s largest startup… by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and helping reduce bureaucracy.” 

This may only be the beginning of cuts within the company. According to Reuters, this round of workforce reduction could include as many as 30,000 positions. That would be the largest staffing reduction in the company’s history.

There are indicators that Amazon’s business is booming. Cloud computing sales increased 17.5% in the second quarter.

The company is planning to hire 250,000 seasonal employees, anticipating big holiday sales.

So - why now? What is Amazon’s goal with these cuts, and what are they aiming to build for the future of the company?

Guest:

• Todd Bishop, co-founder of Geekwire, and a business and technology reporter

Related stories:

• Amazon confirms 14,000 corporate job cuts, says push for ‘efficiency gains’ will continue into 2026 - Geekwire
• Amazon and the media: Inside the disconnect on AI, robots and jobs - Geekwire
• Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots - NYT

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