Amazon Layoffs 2026: 16,000 More Jobs Cut in Massive Corporate Restructuring

Amazon is making further changes to its workforce, impacting approximately 16,000 roles across the company. A report last week said more job cuts were coming and today it was confirmed.

The announcement was made today by Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology, who noted that these reductions are part of a broader effort to streamline the company’s internal structure.

This latest round of cuts follows a previous restructuring phase that began in October. Galetti explained that while many departments finished their organizational shifts last year, other teams required more time to finalize their plans. She told employees that the company has been focused on reducing layers and increasing ownership to help the organization move faster.

“As I shared in October, we’ve been working to strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy,” Galetti wrote. “While many teams finalized their organizational changes in October, other teams did not complete that work until now.”

For employees in the United States, Amazon is providing a 90-day window to apply for other internal positions. Those who cannot find a new role within the company or choose to leave will receive transition support, including severance pay, health insurance benefits, and outplacement services. Galetti noted that international timelines will be adjusted to meet local country requirements.

Despite the significant number of departures, Amazon intends to continue hiring in strategic areas that are vital to its long-term growth. Galetti clarified that these recurring announcements are not intended to become a permanent pattern for the retail and tech giant.

“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,” Galetti stated. “But just as we always have, every team will continue to evaluate the ownership, speed, and capacity to invent for customers, and make adjustments as appropriate.”

On Tuesday an apparent memo sent early signed by Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president of applied AI solutions at AWS, wrongly said that impacted employees in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica had already been informed they lost their jobs. Today’s memo didn’t mention anything about Canadian employees but it seems the cuts also took place beyond the U.S. as well.