Why Amazon’s CEO Thinks Corporate Jobs Are About to Disappear

Amazon’s future will be leaner, and it's not because of a downturn. 

CNBC reported that CEO Andy Jassy confirmed that the company’s corporate workforce is expected to shrink in the coming years, not from layoffs alone. His prediction is due to the rapid rollout of generative artificial intelligence.

In a memo to employees this week, Jassy outlined the inevitable shift. "We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today," he wrote, "and more people doing other types of jobs." 

He didn't offer a clear estimate, but the message was clear: AI is rewriting the script — and humans will need to adapt.

Amazon has already laid off more than 27,000 employees since 2022. But this time, the strategy isn't just cost-cutting. It's about efficiency. 

AI is being baked into nearly every part of the company’s operations, from demand forecasting to warehouse automation. Jassy said teams must learn to use AI tools to get more done "with scrappier teams."

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This shift mirrors moves by other major tech players. Shopify now requires staff to prove why AI can't do a task before requesting more resources. Klarna's CEO recently shared that AI had helped shrink their headcount by 40%.

Jassy has repeatedly called AI a "once-in-a-lifetime reinvention" and emphasized how quickly it's moving. 

In his shareholder letter, he noted that AI is already saving companies massive amounts of money and that it's poised to transform everything from coding and shopping to financial services.

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Still, for Amazon's more than 1.5 million employees worldwide, many in corporate or logistics roles, the future is uncertain. 

The upside? New roles will emerge. The downside? They'll look very different from the ones disappearing.

With massive AI investment and a growing demand for efficiency, Amazon is making a bet on speed, automation, and leaner teams. 

The question for many: will they be part of that future—or a casualty of it?

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