Amazon announces 2nd round of layoffs this month

Amazon has announced a second round of layoffs, eliminating up to 250 employees in its devices and services unit. This follows earlier job cuts of about 1,000 in its core retail division. The latest reductions come shortly after the company unveiled new products, including Kindle e-readers and tablet computers. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the decision, stating that the company made the "difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles."

The cuts are aimed at improving efficiency and aligning better with Amazon's product roadmap. The company also introduced a new Alexa-powered alarm clock and photo frame during the announcement. Employees received early notifications of the job cuts via text messages and emails. Amazon's layoffs in 2026 follow a series of workforce reductions, with the tech giant eliminating approximately 16,000 jobs in January and 14,000 in October 2025.

Reports suggest that Amazon's significant investments in artificial intelligence and infrastructure for data centers played a role in the recent layoffs. Other technology companies, such as Microsoft and Dropbox, also announced workforce reductions this week, with Microsoft eliminating about 60,000 employees and Dropbox laying off 9% of its global workforce.

According to TrueUp, a company tracking layoffs in the tech industry, 670 tech firms have announced cuts in 2026, affecting 197,123 employees, which translates to an average of 655 job losses per day. In comparison, 2025 saw 783 tech companies laying off 245,953 employees, averaging 674 people per day.