Amazon said it cut a small number of jobs, mainly in the Stores unit that runs its main shopping site. A person familiar with the matter put the reduction below 1,000 white-collar roles.
Amazon confirmed on Wednesday that it had cut what it called a small number of jobs, primarily in its Stores unit, which oversees the main e-commerce website. Reuters reported the confirmation from San Francisco.
The cuts landed during Prime Big Deal Days, a promotion that started on Tuesday and ran through Wednesday. A person familiar with the matter said fewer than 1,000 white-collar workers were let go. Business Insider had reported the layoffs earlier.
A spokesperson said the company adjusted parts of the Stores business because it believed the new structure would better enable it to deliver on its priorities. Internal Slack posts seen by employees suggested customer service and selling-partner services were among the divisions involved, and that staff in the United States, India and the United Kingdom were affected.
The reduction follows a larger round of 30,000 job cuts that began last year and continued into January, plus smaller cuts since then, Reuters reported. In a Fox News interview aired Wednesday, founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos said continued cuts had been necessary because the company overhired during the pandemic, when people stayed home and ordered online.
Amazon did not publish a site-by-site list. The figure below 1,000 comes from a person familiar with the matter, not from the company's statement.
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- An Amazon spokesperson said the Stores structure was adjusted to deliver on priorities.
- Bezos said the company overhired during the pandemic and that the period was stressful for the team.