Amazon is reportedly planning another round of layoffs soon. It is believed that the tech giant may cut more than 16,000 jobs in various departments and sectors. Now, a leaked email has indicated that the company may have sent premature invitations to some of its employees to announce the alleged layoffs. Here are all the details.

On Tuesday, some Amazon Web Services (AWS) employees received an email titled “Send Project Dawn Email.” The email also contained a calendar invitation to all recipients for an event. However, the email may have been sent prematurely and the event may have been canceled shortly thereafter.

As part of a broader plan to cut 30,000 jobs, Amazon laid off 14,000 employees in October last year. It is being told that the second phase will take place in America as early as January 28. Teams from other regions including India may be affected.

Amazon sent layoff invitation to employees

According to Business Insider, the email was written by Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president of AWS Solutions. However it may have been sent by his assistant. The event was scheduled for 5 am. Pacific Time (6:30 p.m. IST) on Wednesday, January 28. However, the program was canceled soon after some employees received this message.

What was said in the email?

In the message, Colleen Aubrey explained that the changes were part of Amazon’s long-term vision to bring greater flexibility. “This is a continuation of the work we’ve been doing for over a year to strengthen the company by reducing layers, increasing ownership and removing bureaucracy, so we can move faster for customers,” he said.

Although the report does not state whether Aubrey specifically mentioned layoffs in the message, it is believed that Amazon was going to make some kind of announcement regarding the same. It appears that the layoffs may have impacted AWS employees located in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica. In the email, Aubrey said ‘affected colleagues’ in these areas had been informed.

Colleen Aubrey also wrote, “Changes like this are hard for everyone,” but the aim is to “position AWS for future success.”

Amazon employees worried over layoff email

Amazon may have canceled the planned round of layoffs for now, but uncertainty has increased among AWS employees. Amid rumors of a second phase of mass layoffs, employees are wondering if they will lose their jobs soon.

While some employees also wondered whether AI was the cause of untimely delivery of emails. “It seems like they wanted to use AI to send an email yesterday and sent a calendar invite today instead,” one person quoted by Business Insider said.

Amazon’s future layoff rounds are expected to impact multiple divisions, including AWS, retail, Prime Video, and human resources. Amazon had previously linked the workforce cuts to broader efficiency initiatives and increased use of artificial intelligence, with more cuts being considered likely in the future.