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CEO Andy Jassy cited “the uncertain economy” and rapid hiring as reasons for the layoffs.
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It is the largest cut in Amazon’s history and the largest group of tech workers laid off in recent months.
Amazon plans to lay off the largest number of workers in the company’s history.
In a memo to Amazon staff on Wednesday, CEO Andy Jassy said the company would eliminate 18,000 roles, with most of the layoffs coming in the company’s Amazon Stores and People Experience and Technology Solutions divisions.
“This year’s review has been more difficult given the uncertain economy and that we’ve hired rapidly over the last several years,” Jassy wrote.
Late last year, the New York Times reported that Amazon planned to lay off 10,000 workers, or less than 3% of the company’s corporate workforce, but that number has since grown, and the e-commerce giant will make the rest of the cuts in the coming weeks, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal,
It is the largest group of layoffs at a major tech company in recent months, according to the Journal.
The company began its current round of layoffs in November after Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that Amazon would eliminate roles in the company’s Devices and Books businesses and offer voluntary exit offers for some staff in HR.
While most of the company’s 1.5 million employees work in warehouses, the layoffs have so far been concentrated in Amazon’s corporate groups.
Amazon declines to comment when reached by Insider.
A wave of layoffs hit the tech industry late last year, with giants like Twitter, Meta, and Netflix all cutting thousands of workers.
The trend has not yet shown signs of slowing down in 2023: Salesforce announced a 10% workforce reduction on Wednesday.