Amazon confirms 16,000 job cuts after accidental email

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete January 28, 2026 at 12:21 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Amazon has confirmed it will cut 16,000 jobs globally, following an accidental email leak revealing the new round of redundancies. The email, intended to inform staff in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica, was mistakenly sent on Tuesday before being officially announced on Wednesday. The layoffs are part of Amazon's ongoing efforts to "strengthen the company" by reducing bureaucracy and increasing efficiency. This announcement follows a previous reduction of 14,000 jobs in October, with employees anticipating further cuts to reach a potential total of 30,000 by May. Affected employees were offered the opportunity to reapply for open positions and received severance pay based on their tenure.

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BBC 30% Canada 40% Costa Rica 40% United States 50% Colleen Aubrey 60% Beth Galetti 60% Amazon Web Services ×270% Amazon ×10100%

Keywords

job cuts 100% amazon 100% layoffs 90% redundancies 80% remove bureaucracy 60% email error 60% project dawn 50% organizational changes 50% severance pay 40%