Amazon confirmed a new round of layoffs this week, cutting nearly 16,000 jobs globally, including in India. While most of the layoffs have taken place in the US, hundreds of employees across multiple teams in cities like Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad in India have been affected.

Following the announcement, the company has started informing affected employees via official email. The latest cuts mark the FAANG company’s second major round of job cuts in just three months and come on top of the nearly 14,000 roles it had already eliminated by the end of 2025.

As emails detailing severance packages, transition periods and continued benefits arrive in the inboxes of affected Amazon employees, here’s a quick look at the e-commerce giant in five key points.

Point 1: Amazon confirms it is cutting 16,000 jobs

Amazon officially announced the layoffs on Wednesday, January 28, via a blog post from its Chief People Officer Beth Galetti. In the announcement, the company confirmed its decision to lay off more employees, saying the move will impact approximately 16,000 roles across its global workforce.

“This round of cuts will impact approximately 16,000 roles at Amazon, and we are working hard again to support everyone whose role is impacted,” Galetti wrote. In the US, most affected employees have been given 90 days to apply for other internal roles, while timelines in international markets will vary depending on local labor laws and regulatory requirements.

Notably, this latest round takes Amazon’s recent job cuts to nearly 30,000 employees, surpassing the 27,000 layoffs it announced in 2023.

Point 2: Amazon says it wants to cut bureaucracy and layers

According to Amazon, the ongoing layoffs are part of a broader organizational reset aimed at simplifying the company’s operations. “As I shared in October, we are working to strengthen our organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy,” Galetti said. He said while many teams completed restructuring last year, others finalized the process only recently, leading to this additional round of cuts.

According to Amazon, these changes are not meant to indicate repeat layoffs, but are part of a review of teams that are reviewing how they are structured and work.

Point 3: Who is affected, including Indian teams

The latest round of layoffs at Amazon are primarily concentrated in Amazon’s corporate workforce rather than in frontline or fulfillment roles. Teams across internal support functions such as technology, retail, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime Video, media, and human resources are among those affected.

Although Amazon has not shared country-wise details, international teams including India have been affected as part of the global restructuring. The company said processes and timelines outside the US will depend on country-level requirements and local labor laws.

Point 4: What employees are getting in layoff emails

Concurrent with the public announcement, Amazon began sending “final” emails to affected employees. In some of the emails reviewed by India Today Tech, Amazon informed the affected staff member that their roles have been terminated following an internal review and their employment will end after a short notification period.

Amazon is offering a non-working transition period, as well as a severance package, transitional benefits, external job placement assistance, and up to 12 months of complimentary access to AWS Skills Builder.

In the meantime, after termination, affected employees maintain limited access to internal systems such as email, HR portals and communication tools during the transition period, and are encouraged to use MyHR and the employee assistance portal for support.

Point 5: Amazon says that’s all for now

Even though it has decided to reduce the number of employees, Amazon says it will continue to selectively hire in strategic roles, especially in areas critical to its long-term growth, including artificial intelligence. Galetti said Amazon is still in the early stages of building many of its businesses and sees significant opportunities ahead. The company has also confirmed that it currently has no plans to announce further job cuts in the coming months.

However, Amazon’s layoffs add to a wave of job cuts underway in Silicon Valley, as tech companies continue to recalibrate after aggressive pandemic-era hiring. Companies including Meta, Microsoft, TCS and Pinterest are also reducing headcount as they focus on artificial intelligence and ongoing restructuring.