Amazon Cuts More Than 1,800 Engineering Jobs in Largest Tech Layoffs of October

Amazon eliminated more than 1,800 engineering positions in October, marking its largest round of tech-focused layoffs that month. The cuts affected teams across software, infrastructure, and device development as the company continued tightening expenses following several years of rapid expansion. The move reflects Amazon’s broader push to streamline operations and prioritize projects with the highest return amid a cooling tech job market.

Amazon’s latest corporate restructuring has triggered one of the biggest workforce reductions in the company’s history, with engineering teams absorbing a disproportionate share of the cuts, according to state labor filings. The company disclosed more than 14,000 layoffs in October 2025, a sweeping downsizing that reached nearly every major division from cloud computing and devices to retail, advertising, and groceries.

WARN filings in New York, California, New Jersey, and Washington illustrate the scale of the engineering shake-up. Of the more than 4,700 positions eliminated in those states, nearly 40% were engineering roles, CNBC reported, based on data Amazon submitted through Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification disclosures. Because each state reports data differently, the numbers capture only part of the broader nationwide reductions.

The layoffs come as CEO Andy Jassy pushes to streamline internal operations and accelerate decision-making. Another round of cuts is expected in January 2026, according to the report.

Amazon has said artificial intelligence was not the primary driver of the job losses, characterizing the move instead as an effort to flatten the organization and move faster. Still, the company’s increasing focus on AI is reshaping its workforce. Jassy told investors in June that white-collar roles may decline over time as AI improves productivity.

In a memo to employees, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s head of HR, underscored the urgency of adapting to the rapid pace of AI-driven innovation. “This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we've seen since the Internet,” she wrote. “We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business.”

The WARN notices show cuts across multiple engineering levels, though mid-level SDE II developers were hit hardest. More than 500 product managers and program managers also lost their jobs across states that filed notices, representing over 10% of reported reductions. Senior managers and principal-level staff were included as well.

Amazon’s gaming division suffered some of the deepest losses. California filings reveal substantial reductions at the company’s San Diego and Irvine studios, along with central publishing staff. In a memo obtained by CNBC, Steve Boom, vice president of Audio, Twitch, and Games, said “significant role reductions” would occur across the group. Game designers, artists, and producers made up more than a quarter of the cuts in Irvine and about 11% in San Diego.

Other technology groups were affected too. Amazon scaled back its visual search and shopping teams, according to LinkedIn posts from laid-off employees. WARN filings indicate that Palo Alto staff working on Amazon Lens and Lens Live including software engineers, applied scientists, and QA specialists were among those let go.

Separately, more than 140 advertising sales and marketing employees in New York were laid off as part of a broader restructuring of Amazon’s online advertising business.

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Source: NDTV

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