The American e-commerce giant Amazon plans to cut 10,000 jobs starting this week. Insider sources revealed that the layoffs will focus on the device manufacturing, retail, and human resources sectors. According to Bloomberg News, these layoffs, the largest in Amazon's history, will also affect the Alexa voice assistant division, alongside retail and human resources.
The final number of jobs to be cut has not been definitively determined, but it is expected to be around 10,000 positions, representing approximately 3% of Amazon's total workforce, and less than 1% of its global workforce of over 1.5 million employees, most of whom work hourly. Amazon's decision to begin layoffs during the holiday shopping season suggests the company has been impacted by a slowing global economy.
Bloomberg noted that Amazon will be the latest in a series of tech companies announcing job cuts in light of the broader economic slowdown. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment on the news. Earlier today, Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos, the fourth richest person in the world, stated that he intends to donate the majority of his $124 billion wealth to charity and combating climate change. He added that he would allocate most of his wealth to address climate change and support individuals who can unite humanity in the face of deep social and political divisions, indicating he may exit the list of the world's wealthy.
This month, a wave of layoffs has hit major global tech companies, indicating the sector's adverse impact. Amid inflation and rising interest rates, tech company stocks have deteriorated, leading each to announce plans to lay off thousands of employees. Reports of layoffs have included major names such as Apple, Microsoft, Twitter, Meta, and others.
