Amazon has accidentally confirmed a new round of layoffs after a draft email was mistakenly sent to employees. The email, written by Colleen Aubrey, Senior Vice President at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was included in a calendar invitation sent late on Tuesday but was quickly canceled.
The message, apparently shared in error, indicated that employees in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica would be affected as part of “Project Dawn,” Amazon’s internal code name for the job cuts. While the email confirmed the layoffs, staff had not yet received official notification.
“This is a continuation of the work we’ve been doing for more than a year to strengthen the company by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy, so that we can move faster for customers,” the email said. It added that such decisions are difficult but necessary to position AWS and the wider organisation for future success.
The upcoming layoffs follow 14,000 job cuts announced in October 2025. Former employees suggested that Amazon intends to cut around 30,000 roles in total, with further reductions expected until May 2026, according to Layoffs.fyi. Workers affected are offered severance pay based on tenure, and some may reapply for open positions within the company, although opportunities are limited.
Amazon is part of a wider trend across the tech industry, where companies such as Meta, Google, and Microsoft have laid off hundreds of thousands of staff over the past four years. Since Jeff Bezos stepped down as chief executive four years ago, his successor Andy Jassy has overseen several rounds of layoffs and introduced a stricter work culture. Employees are now required to be in the office five days a week, and cost-cutting measures extend to monitoring AWS mobile phone usage and reducing reimbursements (Business Insider, 2026).
In addition to the workforce reductions, Amazon has announced it will close its remaining Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores, while expanding its Whole Foods Market operations. Mr Jassy described this period as “a time to rethink everything we’ve ever done,” reflecting the company’s efforts to adapt to a rapidly changing business environment.
Source:BBC News
