?

NEW YORK -- Amazon said Wednesday that it plans to eliminate approximately 16,000 corporate jobs, marking its second round of mass layoffs in four months as the tech giant restructures its operations to focus on artificial intelligence (AI).

In a news release shared with employees, Beth Galetti, Amazon's senior vice president of people experience and technology, said that the reductions are part of an ongoing effort to "strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy."

Galetti attempted to quell fears that mass layoffs would become a recurring event. "Some of you might ask if this is the beginning of a new rhythm -- where we announce broad reductions every few months. That's not our plan," she said, adding that teams will continue to evaluate their capacity and make adjustments "as appropriate."

The announcement follows the layoff of 14,000 corporate employees in October 2025. Collectively, the 30,000 job cuts since late last year represent about 10 percent of Amazon's corporate and tech workforce.

The downsizing aligns with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's strategy to slim down the company's structure following a hiring spree during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jassy has set internal targets to slash management layers and operate more like a "startup" to accelerate innovation.

Simultaneously, Amazon is aggressively shifting resources toward the development of AI and data center infrastructure. The company forecasted in October that its capital expenditures would reach 125 billion US dollars in 2026, the highest spending projection among major technology firms.

"We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs," Jassy noted last June, referring to the efficiency gains expected from AI adoption.