TLDR: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has communicated to employees that the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, including generative AI and intelligent agents, is anticipated to lead to a gradual decrease in the company’s corporate workforce over the coming years, driven by enhanced efficiency. Employees are encouraged to embrace and adapt to these new technologies to remain relevant.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced in June 2025 that the company expects a reduction in its corporate workforce over the next few years, attributing this shift to the extensive integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. In an email to employees, Jassy detailed how generative AI and AI-powered software agents are poised to fundamentally alter work processes across the retail and cloud-computing giant.
Jassy stated, ‘We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.’ He acknowledged the difficulty in predicting the exact long-term outcome but emphasized that ‘in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company.’
Amazon, which employs 1.56 million people as of March, is the second-largest private employer in the U.S. after Walmart. While the majority of its workforce is engaged in warehouse operations, over 350,000 employees held corporate positions as of December.
The CEO urged employees to proactively engage with AI, encouraging them to become conversant in the technology and ‘experiment with AI whenever you can.’ He stressed that those who embrace this change, help build and improve AI capabilities, and deliver for customers will be well-positioned for high impact within the reinvented company.
This announcement has sparked discussions about the broader implications of AI on employment. Brian Driscoll, an HR consultant, expressed concerns to Newsweek, stating, ‘Amazon has the scale and cash to be a global leader in responsible AI use and set an example for how to treat employees. Instead, it’s using AI to accelerate shareholder value by eliminating human workers. That’s not progress.’ He further added that this means ‘tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs not because they weren’t performing, but because they can be replaced by a cheaper worker.’
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Amazon is not alone in this trend. Other companies are also adjusting their workforce strategies in response to AI advancements. Shopify, for instance, now requires explanations for new headcount requests if AI could perform the job, and Duolingo has indicated it will ‘gradually stop’ using contractors for tasks manageable by AI. BT Group is also undergoing restructuring that will eliminate tens of thousands of roles. Executives across various industries are increasingly viewing AI as a transformative force that necessitates retraining and redefinition of roles within their organizations.
