Amazon confirmed another 16,000 corporate job cuts in a blog post on Wednesday, completing a reduction of about 30,000 corporate roles that began last October.
Top human resources official Beth Galetti said the cuts are meant to strengthen the company by “reducing layers, increasing ownership and removing bureaucracy.”
The 30,000 jobs are a small portion of Amazon’s more than 1.5 million employees worldwide—most of whom work in warehouses or distribution centers—but represent almost 10% of the company’s corporate workforce.
The written announcement followed a mistaken email that appeared to refer to the layoff plan as “Project Dawn” sent to some Amazon Web Services staff, which unsettled employees.
Galetti hinted that some teams would continue to “make adjustments as appropriate” but sought to reassure staff this was not the start of a new rhythm of regular broad reductions. The post did not detail which business units would be affected or by how much.
CEO Andy Jassy has said increased use of AI tools will automate duties and lead to corporate job losses. Amazon has also acknowledged it overhired during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for home deliveries and online retail surged.
Various tech and delivery companies have recently restructured as well; UPS, Pinterest and ASML announced job reductions in recent days.
Edited by: Farah Bahgat