Amazon Layoffs: Staff Fired Through Early-Morning Text Messages
Amazon’s latest round of layoffs has raised eyebrows not just for its scale but also for how it was handled. According to a report by Business Insider, several employees learned about their termination through early morning text messages.
The first message instructed affected employees to check their work or personal email before heading to the office, while a second text directed them to call a help desk if they had not received "an email message about your role." The move was reportedly designed to prevent laid-off staff from discovering their badges were deactivated upon arrival.
As part of a global restructuring effort aimed at streamlining operations in the age of artificial intelligence, Amazon plans to lay off more than 14,000 employees worldwide.
Business Insider’s review of an internal document revealed that about 7,500 employees received layoff notices, with over 78% being managers at levels five to seven, spanning junior to senior management positions. More than 80% of the affected employees were from Amazon’s retail division, which includes e-commerce, logistics, and human resources teams.
Chief HR Officer Beth Galetti addressed the layoffs in a company blog post, confirming that all affected employees would receive full pay and benefits for the next 90 days, along with a severance package.
Galetti noted that Amazon will continue hiring in critical strategic areas while eliminating excess management layers to boost efficiency. She emphasized the company’s focus on adapting to technological transformation, saying, "This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and altogether new ones)."
The layoffs mark one of Amazon’s biggest workforce cuts since 2023, as the company seeks to balance aggressive AI-driven innovation with operational efficiency.
The first message instructed affected employees to check their work or personal email before heading to the office, while a second text directed them to call a help desk if they had not received "an email message about your role." The move was reportedly designed to prevent laid-off staff from discovering their badges were deactivated upon arrival.
As part of a global restructuring effort aimed at streamlining operations in the age of artificial intelligence, Amazon plans to lay off more than 14,000 employees worldwide.
Business Insider’s review of an internal document revealed that about 7,500 employees received layoff notices, with over 78% being managers at levels five to seven, spanning junior to senior management positions. More than 80% of the affected employees were from Amazon’s retail division, which includes e-commerce, logistics, and human resources teams.
Chief HR Officer Beth Galetti addressed the layoffs in a company blog post, confirming that all affected employees would receive full pay and benefits for the next 90 days, along with a severance package.
Galetti noted that Amazon will continue hiring in critical strategic areas while eliminating excess management layers to boost efficiency. She emphasized the company’s focus on adapting to technological transformation, saying, "This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and altogether new ones)."
The layoffs mark one of Amazon’s biggest workforce cuts since 2023, as the company seeks to balance aggressive AI-driven innovation with operational efficiency.
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