Amazon to lay off 9,000 more workers as tech industry unrest continues

Amazon said Monday it was laying off another 9,000 workers in the latest example of instability in the tech industry.

A round of layoffs that began in November 2022 and lasted until January has already affected more than 18,000 workers at the company.

He latest cuts announced in a memo to staff from CEO Andy Jassy made public on Monday.

Previous layoffs have targeted the retail, device, recruiting and human resources groups. The further cuts are expected to once again affect the human resources group, as well as the cloud computing, advertising and Twitch units. maybe in relation Twitch CEO Emmett Shear has resigned last week to fill a consulting position at Amazon. Twitch has recently lost several high-profile streamers to YouTube’s similar platform.

Jassy cited the current economy as one of the reasons behind the cuts, in addition to the “uncertainty that exists in the near future” after conducting an annual budget review. He also said that the company has “chosen to be more efficient in our costs and people.”

“The overriding tenet of our annual planning this year was to be more efficient and to do it in a way that allows us to continue to invest robustly in the key long-term customer experiences that we believe can significantly improve the lives of customers and customers. Amazon generally. Jassy said.

Amazon previously announced a hiring freeze at its highest levels, slowed warehouse expansion and froze some experimental projects with no timetable for resuming them. The company also recently halted construction on its second headquarters in Virginia.

Jassy said the final list of affected employees would be made by the end of April. Those workers will receive severance pay, transitional health insurance, outside job placement support and other benefits, Jassy said.

Amazon is not alone in laying off dozens of workers. Meta, Google and Microsoft are also among the many tech companies that announced big layoffs this year.