Amazon slashes nearly 700 jobs in New York alone amid plans of 14,000 job cuts – here’s what we know
E-commerce giant Amazon laid off 660 people in Manhattan in October, according to a report by the New York Post based on New York State government records.
Amazon confirmed that nine office locations were affected and only corporate employees were affected. The sites most affected were two places. There were 233 layoffs at the 450 W 33rd St office near Hudson Yards, and 233 layoffs at 424 Fifth Ave. at the former Lord & Taylor flagship, which was bought by Amazon for $1 billion in 2020, the report, based on filings filed by the state Department of Labor on Monday, said. It was stated that there were 182 layoffs in the office.
“I believe the vast majority of these cuts are technical layoffs at Amazon, and NYC has not been spared,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives told The Post. “Given the war for talent and the AI revolution in motion, the scale of Amazon disruptions remains puzzling.”
The latest development, after Amazon approved plans to cut nearly 14,000 corporate jobs, comes just months after Chief Executive Andy Jassy highlighted its growing use of artificial intelligence.
During Amazon’s earnings call on Thursday, Andy Jassy clarified that the layoffs were not due to cost-cutting measures or the adoption of artificial intelligence. Instead, he said the affected employees did not fit into Amazon’s culture.
“The announcement we made a few days ago wasn’t actually financially driven, and it’s not even AI-driven at least right now,” Andy Jassy said, adding that “it’s really a culture.”
The layoffs affect departments as diverse as logistics, payments, video games and cloud computing, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
“The discounts we’re sharing today are a continuation of that work to get even stronger by further reducing red tape, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets,” Beth Galetti, senior vice president of human experience and technology at Amazon, said in a blog post last month.
New layoffs are expected
Galetti signaled more layoffs, citing Amazon’s plan to hire in key areas in 2026.
The company reportedly plans to cut about 30,000 corporate jobs, which would account for about 9% of its global office-based workforce at the time of the latest layoffs, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the development.
Stating the reason for the layoffs, he said: “Some may ask why we are reducing our roles when the company is performing well. What we need to remember is that the world is changing rapidly. This generation of artificial intelligence is the most transformative technology we have seen since the internet, allowing companies to innovate faster than ever before.”
