Amazon Will Reportedly Slash 30,000 Corporate Jobs In Biggest Layoff To Date

Amazon is preparing to lay off 30,000 workers on Tuesday (October 28)

Amazon is preparing to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning this week, in what would be the company’s largest layoff in history, according to reports from CNBC, Reuters, Forbes, and others.

CNBC reported Monday (October 27) that the cuts will amount to about 10% of Amazon’s corporate workforce of roughly 350,000. The company employs about 1.55 million people worldwide and is a major employer of MBAs globally. Sources told Reuters that the reductions will affect multiple divisions, including People Experience and Technology (its human resources arm), devices and services, operations, and corporate functions within Amazon Web Services.

Amazon has not confirmed the precise number or timing of cuts. Reuters reported that the total “could change over time” as the company revises its financial priorities. The layoffs are expected to roll out in phases beginning Tuesday (October 28).

The layoffs are tied to Amazon’s efforts to streamline operations and accelerate its use of automation. Reuters reported that CEO Andy Jassy has pushed to eliminate layers of bureaucracy and middle management, while adopting AI tools to replace some corporate functions.

Forbes noted that the downsizing follows internal plans for “mass automation,” suggesting that technology will increasingly take over tasks previously handled by human employees.

The move underscores how generative AI and automation are beginning to transform white-collar jobs — and threaten traditional MBA employment. While warehouse and logistics work at Amazon has long been influenced by robotics, the company is now applying similar efficiency pressures to corporate roles.

If the full 30,000 cuts are carried out, they would surpass the 27,000 jobs Amazon eliminated in 2022, making this the largest layoff in the company’s nearly 30-year history. That earlier round of cuts was attributed to over-expansion during the pandemic, when the company doubled its workforce to meet surging demand.

At the same time, Amazon plans to hire approximately 250,000 seasonal warehouse and fulfillment workers for the holiday season, Reuters reported. The juxtaposition highlights the company’s strategy of shrinking corporate overhead while continuing to invest in frontline logistics.

Layoffs.fyi, which tracks global tech job cuts, shows that Amazon has eliminated 27,390 jobs since 2022, including 1,920 layoffs in 2025 prior to this announcement.

Across the industry, 2025 has already seen 98,344 tech employees laid off at 216 companies as of late October, following 152,922 in 2024. Intel leads all firms this year with 22,000 layoffs, CNBC reported.

Other major tech players — including Microsoft, Google, and Meta — have also announced large cuts in 2025 as the industry adjusts to slowing growth and the adoption of new technologies.

According to a 2015 Washington Post story, the largest corporate layoff in history was 60,000 at IBM in July 1993.

The scale of Amazon’s layoffs carries significant implications for business schools, both for student employment prospects and curriculum planning.

With one of the world’s largest corporate employers of MBAs reducing headcount — and in a way that is likely to impact the kind of jobs that MBAs seek and land out of B-school — new graduates face an even tighter job market than already existed and heightened competition for fewer available roles. The shift also signals broader changes in hiring trends as companies lean on automation and AI. This could push schools to increase emphasis on skills such as data analytics, digital transformation, and technology management.

Educators may also prioritize resilience and adaptability, integrating coursework in innovation management, risk assessment, and strategic decision-making. Career services and alumni relations are expected to take on a larger role, helping students and graduates navigate a volatile market. Schools may respond with enhanced networking events, expanded partnerships with employers still hiring, and new workshops focused on career resilience and entrepreneurial pathways.

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