Amazon to Cut 16,000 Corporate Jobs in Second Big Round

Amazon will eliminate about 16,000 corporate jobs, unveiling the move on January 28, 2026, as the company streamlines management layers and leans further into artificial intelligence across its businesses.

What Happened?

Senior vice president Beth Galetti told employees the latest reductions are part of a continuing reorganization aimed at “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.” The company did not specify which teams or locations would see the most impact. U.S. staff get 90 days to find roles internally before severance, outplacement support, and health benefits kick in for those who do not transition. The cuts follow another wave in late 2025 and come as Amazon continues to hire selectively in areas it deems strategic.

Why It Matters

The move is Amazon’s second mass layoff in three months, after it cut about 14,000 corporate roles on October 28, 2025. Total announced cuts since October: about 30,000, or roughly a tenth of the company’s corporate workforce, according to prior reporting. The company says the restructuring is designed to speed decision-making and focus resources on growth priorities.

AI And The Bigger Picture

Chief executive Andy Jassy has cautioned that widespread use of generative AI and agents will change how work gets done at Amazon. Amazon says AI will reshape corporate work, reducing the need for some roles while creating others. The company, which expanded rapidly during the pandemic, also executed deep cuts in 2023 that eliminated 27,000 positions; this year’s moves continue a longer-running effort to reset headcount and simplify operations while investing heavily in data centers, cloud services, and other AI infrastructure.

What’s Next

Notifications are set to roll out over the coming weeks as teams complete their reorganizations. Amazon has indicated it will keep hiring in priority areas even as it trims elsewhere, suggesting a choppy labor picture for white-collar tech roles: fewer generalist corporate positions and greater demand for specialized AI, cloud, and infrastructure talent.

Sources

• Amazon cuts about 16,000 corporate jobs — AP News (January 28, 2026)
• Amazon lay off 16,000 corporate employees — Wall Street Journal (January 28, 2026)
• Amazon layoffs, store cuts reverberate through U.S. economy — Washington Post (January 28, 2026)
• Amazon will cut 16,000 jobs in layoffs — Forbes (January 28, 2026)