Amazon is said to be planning another significant wave of layoffs, potentially impacting up to 14,000 employees worldwide, with certain teams facing closure. The company previously eliminated 16,000 roles in January this year.
Amazon, the American tech giant, may be planning another major round of layoffs, reportedly aiming to cut up to 14,000 jobs across various divisions, with some teams potentially being shut down.
Amazon has denied rumours of a new round of layoffs. In an email to India Today Tech, a company spokesperson stated, ‘These reports are false and not based in fact.’
According to a report by Asia Business Outlook, Amazon is allegedly planning to lay off up to 14,000 employees globally by May 2026. The potential cuts are expected to affect corporate roles, including mid-level managers and other white-collar employees across divisions such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), retail, and human resources.
If true, this would be Amazon’s third layoff round within a year, following 16,000 job cuts in January and 14,000 roles eliminated in late 2025.
The trend is not limited to Amazon. Just days ago, Oracle reportedly laid off around 30,000 employees worldwide, informing them through a 6 am email, with nearly 12,000 of those impacted believed to be from India.
Other tech giants such as Microsoft, TCS, and Accenture have also announced large-scale layoffs, while Meta is reportedly planning to cut up to 15,000 jobs.
Is Amazon planning to lay off more employees?
Anonymous professional community platform Blind recently shared a post on X suggesting a potential large-scale layoff at Amazon. A user claiming to work at the company wrote on Blind, ‘Heard rumors about layoffs happening in May. It could involve significant restructuring and may impact more than 10,000 employees.
This has reportedly raised concerns among Amazon employees. The user added, ‘I’m already feeling stressed and anxious about my job and don’t know how to respond to this news. Should I start looking for another opportunity?
The report indicates that certain employees have expressed dissatisfaction with the ‘unclear performance criteria’ used in layoff decisions, contributing to heightened workforce anxiety.
Some teams in China may be shut down
The report states that, as part of the layoffs, certain teams in China may be completely shut down. The move is believed to be part of Amazon’s broader strategy to invest more heavily in AI and create a more streamlined organisational structure.
Amazon, which has invested in AI companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, is reportedly planning to spend over $125 billion on data centres. Previously, CEO Andy Jassy has indicated that generative AI and AI agents could reduce the need for certain roles within the company.