Amazon layoffs January 2026: Company cuts about 16,000 corporate roles as restructuring continues

Amazon layoffs January 2026 expanded Wednesday after the company told employees it is making additional organizational changes that will eliminate roughly 16,000 corporate roles across the business. The move follows an earlier corporate reduction in October 2025 and signals that Amazon’s leadership is still reshaping reporting lines, team structures, and how work gets prioritized after years of rapid growth.

By late Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 (ET), Amazon’s message to employees emphasized that the cuts are tied to restructuring rather than a pullback from investing in new initiatives.

Another corporate reduction after the October reset

Amazon has been working through a multi-month plan to reduce corporate headcount and simplify its internal structure. In October 2025, the company said it was making broad organizational changes; the January 2026 cuts represent work that some teams did not complete during the earlier round.

In total, the two waves add up to about 30,000 corporate roles removed over roughly three months, a pace that underscores how quickly a large organization can change when leadership decides to compress layers and reassign ownership.

A full public timeline has not been released for when all teams will complete their reorganization.

What Amazon told employees about internal transfers and support

Amazon said most U.S.-based employees whose roles are impacted will be offered a 90-day window to look for another job inside the company. The company noted that timing will vary internationally because requirements differ by country and local process.

For employees who do not find a new role internally, or who choose not to pursue one, Amazon said it will provide transition support that can include severance pay, outplacement services, and health insurance benefits where applicable.

Key terms have not been disclosed publicly about which specific teams will see the largest reductions, or how many employees are expected to move through internal transfers versus exiting the company.

Why Amazon says it is changing its structure

Amazon’s leadership framed the layoffs as part of an effort to reduce bureaucracy, remove layers, and increase “ownership” within teams. The company also said it expects to keep hiring and investing in strategic areas it views as critical to long-term growth, even while cutting roles elsewhere.

That combination—cutting in some corporate areas while continuing to hire in others—is common during restructurings designed to shift resources rather than simply shrink the business. The stated goal is to speed up decision-making and focus teams on work that leadership believes has the highest customer impact.

Some specifics have not been publicly clarified about how quickly the new structure will settle in every organization, especially in teams that are still reassigning projects and responsibilities.

How corporate layoffs typically roll through large employers

In a large company, layoffs are usually executed as role eliminations tied to a redesigned org chart rather than a single uniform action across every department. Leaders decide which layers to compress, which programs to combine or sunset, and how many roles are needed in the new structure. Employees in eliminated roles are then routed through a process that may include internal job-matching, time-limited transfer windows, and country-specific consultation steps.

That’s why the initial announcement often isn’t the end of the story for affected employees. Some people transition into open roles, while others separate after the transfer period ends. Day-to-day operations can also feel uneven during this window, as teams pause, backfill selectively, and hand off work to new owners.

Who’s affected and what comes next

Two groups feel the impact most immediately: corporate employees navigating uncertainty about their roles and career paths, and managers who must keep teams moving while responsibilities shift. Job seekers and recruiters also feel ripple effects quickly, because large restructuring waves can temporarily increase competition for roles in the same cities and specialties, even if the company continues hiring in select areas.

For customers, any effect is typically indirect in the short term. Reorganizations can slow projects while ownership changes hands, but they can also reduce delays later if decision-making becomes clearer and teams are set up to move faster.

The next verifiable milestone is Amazon’s next scheduled earnings report and business update, when the company is expected to share fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results on Feb. 5, 2026 (ET). That event is a typical moment for executives to discuss restructuring progress, hiring priorities, and how the new organization is expected to operate going forward.