‘Promoted Last Month, Fired Today’: Workers, Family and Friends React as Amazon Lays Off 14,000 Employees

Amazon Layoff: In what could be called as one of the biggest job cuts in Amazon’s history, the e-commerce giant has started laying off around 14,000 corporate employees. The move comes as part of Amazon’s multiyear plan to cut costs and “run more efficiently,” even as it pours billions into developing artificial intelligence technologies.

In a blog post, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, said the layoffs are meant to make the company “leaner and less bureaucratic.” She wrote, “This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet… We need to be organised more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers.”

Social Media Flooded With Reactions

Soon after the announcement, social media platforms, especially X,  were flooded with posts from shocked and heartbroken employees. Many shared how the layoffs came without warning.

One user wrote, “My friend working at Amazon recently got an appreciation and an award for her good work. She was promoted to a managerial position last month - and today, she got laid off. Even performance doesn’t matter to these guys when it comes to layoffs.”

AI Push Behind the Cuts

Amazon says the restructuring is aimed at freeing up funds to invest in “our biggest bets,” particularly generative AI, cloud infrastructure, and automation. The company claims this will help it stay competitive with rivals like Microsoft and Google, who are also spending heavily on AI.

Still, for employees who’ve suddenly lost their jobs, the explanation offers little comfort. Many expressed disappointment that loyalty and performance seemed to count for nothing.

This marks Amazon’s largest round of layoffs since late 2022, when it cut around 27,000 positions globally.

Read More: The AI-Driven Layoff At Amazon: How Will it Impact E-Commerce Giant's India Operations?