SAN FRANCISCO (GeokHub) — Amazon sparked confusion among employees this week after an internal email appeared to prematurely signal impending job cuts within its cloud computing division, hours before any official notifications were expected.
The message, sent to staff at Amazon Web Services, suggested that employees affected by a round of layoffs had already been informed, even though no such notices had been delivered. The email also included an invitation to a team-wide meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning, which was quickly canceled.
The communication was signed by a senior executive overseeing applied artificial intelligence initiatives at AWS and referred to the restructuring effort internally as “Project Dawn.” In the message, the executive acknowledged the emotional toll of workforce reductions and framed the changes as part of Amazon’s long-term strategy.
Amazon has not publicly confirmed the latest round of corporate layoffs, though the company has previously disclosed plans to significantly reduce its white-collar workforce as it reshapes operations and accelerates its adoption of artificial intelligence.
Layoffs Expected Across Multiple Divisions
People familiar with the matter said the job cuts are expected to affect teams across AWS, retail operations, Prime Video, and human resources, though the total number of impacted roles remains unclear.
The company employs roughly 1.6 million people globally, with corporate staff making up a fraction of that figure. Previous reductions announced late last year targeted tens of thousands of corporate positions, a move Amazon linked to efficiency gains driven by AI and automation.
Earlier this week, Amazon also eliminated roles in its physical retail operations, including its Fresh grocery and cashierless convenience store formats, as it continues to scale back brick-and-mortar experiments and consolidate around its Whole Foods brand.
AI Push Reshaping Corporate Workforce
Amazon executives have repeatedly signaled that advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping how the company operates, reducing the need for certain roles while creating demand for others. Leadership has warned that further restructuring is likely as AI tools become more deeply embedded across the business.
The mistakenly sent email referenced a blog post from Amazon’s human resources leadership outlining the rationale behind the cuts, but that post had not been published at the time the message circulated internally.
Amazon declined to comment on the internal communication error.
