The Amazon Corporation is expected to announce a major round of layoffs today, according to sources from Reuters and Bloomberg. They report that up to 30,000 employees will lose their jobs.
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The layoffs are reported to affect several key Amazon divisions, including gaming. However, the exact number of people to be cut from the gaming teams is unknown.
The media writes that Amazon is aiming to optimize costs and compensate for the over-hiring during the COVID-19 pandemic through the layoffs. Additionally, at least part of the workforce reduction is attributed to the focus on developing artificial intelligence technologies. Back in June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated that the corporation intends to use AI to perform an increasing number of tasks, which will result in layoffs in the future.
Amazon representatives declined to comment on the layoff rumors to Reuters and Bloomberg.
Update: Amazon officially confirmed the layoffs, but the scale was smaller — 14,000 employees.