Amazon’s layoffs announced on Wednesday will continue into early 2023, CEO Andy Jassy said in a letter to employees posted yesterday. He said that the company “hired rapidly” over the last few years but “the economy remains in a challenging spot.” With annual planning now extending into the new year, “there will be more role reductions as leaders continue to make adjustments,” he added.
Jassy didn’t say how many people would be laid off or when, but noted that there would be “reductions in our Stores and PXT [people, experience and technology] organizations.” He added that the company will inform impacted employees well before any layoffs are made public.
On Wednesday, the head of Amazon’s hardware division, Dave Limp, said that the company would consolidate team and “some roles will no longer be required.” According to a report in The New York Times, as many as 10,000 jobs could be cut as a result of the changes. The company said it would extend voluntary buyouts and provide employees with “a package that includes a separation payment, transitional benefits, and external job placement support.” Some workers may also be able to find different roles within the company.
Amazon is the latest tech giant to implement mass layoffs over the last few weeks. Meta cut 11,000 jobs last week, its first-ever mass-layoffs, and Twitter recently laid off about half its staff and cut thousands of contractor jobs. In addition, a large number of Twitter employees reportedly left the company following the deadline of Elon Musk’s “hardcore” ultimatum.