Amazon is rolling out a massive new wave of layoffs, cutting 14,000 corporate jobs, with California tech workers being hit hard.
According to state WARN documents, 1,403 Amazon workers in California are losing their jobs. This comes just as the tech giant is pouring billions of dollars into Artificial Intelligence.
The 'Why': Amazon Exec Explains the Cuts
In a memo to staff, Amazon's Senior Vice President Beth Galetti defended the 14,000 layoffs, even while the company is "performing well."
"Some may ask why we’re reducing roles when the company is performing well," Galetti wrote.
She explained that the "world is changing quickly" and called this generation of AI the "most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet."
To keep up, Galetti said Amazon's leadership needs the workforce to be organized "more leanly" so the company can "move as quickly as possible" on its "biggest bets" — like AI.
This follows earlier comments from CEO Andy Jassy, who told staff that the rollout of AI tools would likely shrink the company’s workforce.
Who Is Being Laid Off in California?
The 1,403 layoffs are spread across seven California cities:
- Sunnyvale: 391 layoffs
- Irvine: 333 layoffs
- Palo Alto: 176 layoffs
- Culver City: 152 layoffs
- San Diego: 145 layoffs
- Santa Monica: 130 layoffs
- Santa Clara: 76 layoffs
The cuts are impacting a wide range of roles. Software development engineers make up the largest category. However, Amazon is also cutting recruiters, marketers, business analysts, and managers.
In Irvine and San Diego, which host Amazon's video game studios, dozens of game designers and game artists are also being let go.
The move is part of a larger trend in the tech industry, with executives pushing for "efficiency" and "speed," often by reducing their workforce to invest more heavily in AI development.