Amazon rehiring laid-off workers for AI and cloud roles

Amazon is offering former employees positions in its AI and cloud-computing departments, as revealed by recruiter emails and comments from a company spokesperson. One email solicited AI experts for open roles under a program led by AWS VP Swami Sivasubramanian. Another message, from an AWS Finance recruiter, provided an expedited interview for a former employee and inquired about any impact of Amazon's return-to-office requirements.

Amazon spokesperson Haley Silva clarified that this practice is not new, not specific to AI or cloud, and is based on available headcount. The company has laid off over 30,000 workers in 2024, including in its AI unit. The outreach aims to address challenges in filling AI roles due to Amazon's return-to-office policy, which has made it harder to attract talent. Returning employees have made up 35% of U.S. hires in March 2025, up from 31% the previous year.