SEATTLE/DUBLIN — Amazon has confirmed plans to eliminate approximately 14,000 corporate roles globally as the e-commerce and technology giant proceeds with significant investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) while simultaneously trimming organizational bureaucracy and operational costs.
The layoffs specifically target white-collar positions within the global operations, affecting about 4% of Amazon’s 350,000 corporate employees, and are not expected to impact the larger distribution and warehouse workforce.
In a memo to staff, Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology, stated the reductions are necessary to organize more “leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership” to align resources with “our biggest bets,” citing the transformative power of AI since the internet. CEO Andy Jassy has previously linked efficiency gains from AI to the need for a smaller corporate workforce.
Impact on Ireland Remains Unclear Amazon currently employs around 6,500 people across its six sites in Ireland, including the fulfilment centre in Baldonnel Business Park. As of this report, it remains unclear whether Irish-based office employees will be among those affected by these international cuts.
The announcement comes as Amazon faces pressure to demonstrate the return on its massive AI infrastructure investments, particularly for its cloud computing unit, AWS, which recently experienced a major outage affecting numerous popular internet services globally.
Employees notified are being given a 90-day window to seek internal transfers, with severance packages and transitional support offered to those departing.
