Amazon layoffs: E-commerce company cuts 250 more jobs after eliminating thousands of roles

Amazon is cutting up to 250 jobs in its devices and services division, adding to a series of workforce reductions as the e-commerce giant reviews its organisational structure and engineering priorities. According to a Reuters report, most of the latest cuts will affect software development teams.

The reductions come as Amazon expands its Alexa-powered hardware portfolio and pushes employees to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in software development. While the company has not explicitly linked the latest layoffs to AI adoption, the move comes amid a broader shift in how its engineering teams are expected to work.

Amazon has described the latest reductions as a limited adjustment, with a spokesperson saying the company had decided to eliminate “a small number of roles” to improve efficiency and align staffing with its product roadmap. Employees were reportedly informed by text message and email on Wednesday, October 28.

Who are affected?

The latest layoffs primarily affect employees in Amazon’s devices and services division, with software development teams bearing the brunt of the reductions, according to Reuters. A person familiar with the matter told the publication that up to 250 positions would be eliminated.

The division is responsible for Amazon’s consumer hardware and connected-home products, including Echo smart speakers, Echo Show displays and devices powered by its Alexa voice assistant. The company has not disclosed the specific teams affected, the number of employees from individual locations who will lose their jobs or whether additional reductions are planned.

The timing of the cuts has drawn attention because Amazon is continuing to invest in its consumer devices business. On the same day the layoffs were reported, the company unveiled five new Alexa-powered products, including updated smart displays, speakers and a bedside clock.

The announcement also follows Amazon’s September guidance to engineers, which emphasised that software developers should focus on outcomes rather than the tools they use. The company’s engineering leadership has encouraged employees to incorporate AI into their workflows, signalling that AI will play a growing role in software development.

However, Amazon has not said that the latest job cuts are a direct consequence of AI adoption. The reductions instead come amid an ongoing effort to simplify management structures, reduce bureaucracy and align teams with the company’s priorities.

Amazon layoffs in 2026 so far

The latest cuts add to Amazon’s wider workforce restructuring, which has affected multiple parts of the company this year.

In January, Amazon announced plans to eliminate 16,000 positions across its workforce. The move followed a separate round of 14,000 job cuts announced in October 2025, as the company sought to streamline operations and reduce management layers.

When announcing the January reductions, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice-president of People Experience and Technology, said the company was continuing to review teams that had not completed earlier restructuring efforts. She said the changes were intended to improve accountability, clarify responsibilities and help teams execute more effectively.

Galetti also indicated that Amazon did not intend to announce broad, company-wide layoffs every few months. Instead, individual teams would continue to assess their structures and make changes where necessary.

The latest cuts in the devices and services division suggest that this review process is continuing, even as Amazon invests in new products and AI-driven engineering practices.

Taken together, the 16,000 positions announced for elimination in January and the latest reductions of up to 250 roles point to continued workforce adjustments across Amazon in 2026. The company has not provided a complete year-to-date tally covering all smaller or team-specific reductions, so the figures should not be treated as a definitive count of every job eliminated this year.

For now, Amazon’s strategy appears to involve continuing to invest in consumer devices and AI while reassessing how its workforce is organised. The company has not announced a timetable for further cuts or disclosed the full operational impact of the latest reductions.