US technology giant Amazon has confirmed it will cut 16,000 jobs - hours after it told staff about a new round of global redundancies in an email apparently sent in error.
The email, which has been seen by the BBC, was sent late on Tuesday and refers to a swathe of employees in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica having been laid off as part of an effort to 'strengthen the company.' The message was apparently shared by mistake, as it was quickly cancelled.
Early on Wednesday, Amazon announced job reductions as part of a plan to 'remove bureaucracy' at the firm. Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon, stated that the company is not planning to make 'broad reductions every few months', in reference to the 14,000 job cuts made in October.
Many teams finalized their organizational changes in October, while others did not complete that work until now, she noted.
On Tuesday, a draft email written by Colleen Aubrey, a senior vice president at Amazon Web Services, was included in a calendar invitation sent by an executive assistant to a number of Amazon workers.
The invitation referred to 'Project Dawn,' a code name for the job cuts. While the email made clear that layoffs were happening, employees had not yet been officially informed.
Amazon's decision reflects a continued effort to streamline operations and reduce costs across the firm. This trend follows a broader pattern in the tech industry, where major companies, including Meta and Microsoft, have also made significant layoffs over the past year.
The email, which has been seen by the BBC, was sent late on Tuesday and refers to a swathe of employees in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica having been laid off as part of an effort to 'strengthen the company.' The message was apparently shared by mistake, as it was quickly cancelled.
Early on Wednesday, Amazon announced job reductions as part of a plan to 'remove bureaucracy' at the firm. Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon, stated that the company is not planning to make 'broad reductions every few months', in reference to the 14,000 job cuts made in October.
Many teams finalized their organizational changes in October, while others did not complete that work until now, she noted.
On Tuesday, a draft email written by Colleen Aubrey, a senior vice president at Amazon Web Services, was included in a calendar invitation sent by an executive assistant to a number of Amazon workers.
The invitation referred to 'Project Dawn,' a code name for the job cuts. While the email made clear that layoffs were happening, employees had not yet been officially informed.
Amazon's decision reflects a continued effort to streamline operations and reduce costs across the firm. This trend follows a broader pattern in the tech industry, where major companies, including Meta and Microsoft, have also made significant layoffs over the past year.
