Amazon Cuts 1,800+ Engineering Jobs in Historic October 2025 Layoffs as Part of 14,000 Employee Reduction

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Amazon has implemented one of its largest workforce reductions in company history, with engineering teams bearing the brunt of the cuts, according to state labor documentation.

The tech giant disclosed over 14,000 job eliminations during October 2025, affecting virtually every business segment including cloud services, devices, retail operations, advertising, and grocery divisions.

Documentation filed in New York, California, New Jersey, and Washington reveals the significant impact on engineering personnel. Nearly 40% of the more than 4,700 layoffs reported in these states were engineering positions, as CNBC highlighted based on Amazon's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) submissions.

The reported figures represent only a portion of the total reductions, as disclosure requirements vary by state. These cuts come as CEO Andy Jassy continues his efforts to transform Amazon's organizational culture.

Reports suggest another round of workforce reductions is anticipated in January 2026.

While Amazon maintained that artificial intelligence wasn't the primary factor behind these layoffs, stating they were intended to eliminate hierarchical layers and expedite decision-making, the company's AI pivot is already reshaping its workforce composition. Jassy previously informed investors in June that white-collar positions would likely decrease as AI tools enhance operational efficiency.

Beth Galetti, Amazon's human resources chief, emphasized the urgency for innovation in her memo announcing the staff reductions.

"This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we've seen since the Internet, and it's enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before," Galetti wrote.

She further stated, "We're convinced that we need to be organised more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business."

WARN filings indicate that while engineers at all levels were affected, mid-level software developers (SDE II) experienced disproportionate impacts.

The restructuring also eliminated over 500 product and program management positions across states that submitted notices, accounting for more than 10% of documented cuts. Senior leadership and principal-level positions were likewise affected, according to regulatory filings.

Amazon's gaming division suffered particularly severe reductions during this restructuring. California WARN documents reveal substantial cuts at both San Diego and Irvine studios, as well as in central publishing operations.

In a staff memo obtained by CNBC, Steve Boom, Vice President of Audio, Twitch and Games, referenced "significant role reductions" across these areas. Game designers, artists, and producers represented over 25% of Irvine reductions and approximately 11% of San Diego cuts.

The company has additionally scaled back its visual search and shopping teams, as indicated in LinkedIn posts from affected employees. WARN filings show that software engineers, applied scientists, and QA specialists in the Palo Alto unit responsible for Amazon Lens and Lens Live were impacted.

Separately, more than 140 advertising sales and marketing positions were eliminated in New York as part of broader reductions in Amazon's online advertising business.