Amazon is preparing to reduce its total corporate workforce over the next few years due to the rapid adoption of generative AI and automation, CEO Andy Jassy said in an internal note on Tuesday. The company expects that AI-driven efficiencies will reshape job roles, decreasing demand for some routine tasks while increasing demand for others.
Amazon employed more than 1.5 million full-time and part-time workers by the end of 2024, alongside temporary and contract staff. Jassy highlighted the company’s ongoing use of AI to optimize inventory management, improve forecasting, upgrade customer service chatbots, and enhance product detail pages.
“As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs,” Jassy said.
Industry analysts note that this trend reflects a broader shift across the tech sector. Gil Luria of D.A. Davidson commented that AI’s rapid productivity gains are leading to slower hiring, particularly in software development roles.
Other major tech firms like Microsoft and Google have also emphasized AI’s role in boosting productivity while concurrently reducing headcount through layoffs.
While AI is expected to reshape the workforce rather than cause mass unemployment, many roles will evolve significantly in the coming years as automation accelerates.