Amazon slashes nearly 700 jobs in New York alone amid plans of 14,000 job cuts – here's what we know

By Admin

14 Nov, 2025

Amazon has intensified its global restructuring efforts with significant layoffs across its corporate workforce, including nearly 700 job cuts in New York City alone. According to filings with the New York State Department of Labour, the e-commerce giant laid off 660 corporate employees across nine Manhattan office locations in October part of a much larger downsizing strategy affecting thousands of employees worldwide.

Major Layoffs at Key Manhattan Locations

The job cuts impacted only corporate roles, with two Manhattan offices bearing the brunt:

• 450 W 33rd St (Hudson Yards) – 233 layoffs
  
  

• 424 Fifth Ave. (former Lord & Taylor building) – 182 layoffs
  
  

The Fifth Avenue property, acquired by Amazon in 2020 for $1 billion, was among the hardest hit. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives called the layoffs “a head scratcher” given the industry demand for tech talent amid the AI boom.

Part of a Wider 14,000 Job Reduction Plan

The New York layoffs are part of Amazon's previously announced plan to eliminate 14,000 corporate roles, as the company recalibrates its workforce in response to evolving technology and organizational priorities. Reports suggest the total cuts could eventually reach 30,000 corporate jobs, impacting around 9% of Amazon’s global office-based workforce.

Amazon Says Layoffs Are Not Driven by AI or Cost Cutting

During Amazon’s recent earnings call, CEO Andy Jassy emphasized that the layoffs are not tied to financial pressures or the company’s rapid adoption of artificial intelligence.

“The announcement that we made a few days ago was not really financially driven, and it's not even really AI-driven… it really it's culture,” Jassy said.

He suggested that employees impacted by the layoffs did not align closely with Amazon’s operating culture and standards.

Departments Impacted Across the Company

According to Bloomberg, the layoffs are affecting a diverse set of teams, including:

• Logistics
  
  

• Payments
  
  

• Video games (Amazon Games)
  
  

• Cloud computing (AWS)
  
  

• Various corporate and administrative units
  
  

Amazon Cites “Bureaucracy Reduction” and “Resource Shifts”

Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology, noted in a recent blog post that the workforce reduction is part of Amazon’s broader effort to simplify operations and redirect investments:

“The reductions we’re sharing today are a continuation of this work to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets.”

Galetti further hinted that more job cuts may be on the way, even as Amazon plans strategic hiring in priority areas by 2026.

AI Is Driving Change Even if It’s Not the Direct Cause

While Amazon denies that AI directly triggered the layoffs, Galetti acknowledged the massive shift underway:

“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.”

This reflects the broader trend across tech companies, many of which are optimizing workforces as AI-driven automation reshapes operations.

What’s Ahead for Amazon

With reports of up to 30,000 job cuts potentially on the horizon, Amazon appears to be undergoing one of its largest corporate reorganizations in years. The company says these moves are intended to create a more agile structure while investing heavily in high-growth areas particularly AI, cloud services, and next-generation digital platforms.

As the global economic and technological landscape shifts rapidly, Amazon’s restructuring is likely to continue into 2025–26, reshaping its workforce and competitive positioning in the tech world.