• AWS answers “Will AI take my job?” questions in the thousands.
• Massive AI investment countered with human redundancies.
• Big Tech lays off workers en masse.

Amazon has announced it is cutting hundreds of jobs in its AWS cloud computing unit, following CEO Andy Jassy’s recent warning that the adoption of generative AI tools would result in job losses.

It’s well known that AI adoption in many corporations worldwide is increasingly rapidly, with AI agents implemented to automate routine tasks. While this saves costs and reduces the reliance on human workforces, AI is already doing what many have feared for years – displacing employees and phasing out certain positions.

In an email statement, an Amazon spokesperson said, “We’ve made the difficult business decision to eliminate some roles, in particular teams in AWS.”

According to the source, “The decisions are necessary as we continue to invest, hire, and optimise resources to deliver innovation for our customers.”

The mass lay-off has nothing to do with poor performance, with AWS sales increasing by 17% during the first quarter of 2025, reaching $29.3 billion. Meanwhile, operating income rose 23% to $11.5 billion, numbers that suggest strong human performance.

Despite escalating sales numbers, it is reported that several employers received emails informing them that their roles had been terminated and computers would be deactivated. Amazon said that a number of groups in AWS have been part of the layoffs, including a group of “specialists” who help sell existing services and produce new product ideas.

The workforce trimming continues a recent trend by Amazon, with those working in its books, devices, and services units, as well as the Wondery podcast division, being affected. Although it’s seemingly a turnaround from this year’s first quarter that saw Amazon add approximately 4,000 new jobs compared to last year’s fourth quarter, Amazon did lay off 18,000 employees in 2022 and 2023.

After purchasing Wondery in 2020 for a reported $300 million and signing a $100 million three-year deal in 2024, Amazon cut a small number of positions in February 2025. In May, Amazon also cut around 100 jobs in the devices and services unit.

In early June, Amazon released a statement regarding layoffs in its Books division, saying, “As part of our ongoing work to make our teams and programs operate more efficiently, and to better align with our business roadmap, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles in the Books organisation.”

Will AI take my job?

Whether these job cuts are directly related to AI implementation has not been confirmed, but CEO Andy Jassy’s remarks in June 2025 leave little room for doubt.

Jassy confirmed Amazon’s plans to cut corporate jobs in favour of AI, saying, “Today, in virtually every corner of the company, we’re using generative AI to make customers’ lives better and easier.”

“As we roll out more generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done. We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.”

Jassy continued, “It’s hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively in the company.”

Amazon is not the only firm downsizing its workforce, with Microsoft, Meta, and CrowdStrike also announcing layoffs this year. Microsoft announced recently that it will be laying off almost 4% of its workforce in a bid to “rein in costs amid hefty investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure.” That’s set to affect approximately 6,000 employees, particularly those in Sales.

The soaring costs of building its AI infrastructure has seen the company’s cloud margins shrink compared to 2024, hence the reduction of “organisational layers with fewer managers.” Microsoft’s gaming division has also been impacted by the layoffs, with 10% of its staff reportedly being cut.

At Meta, 5% of its “lowest performers” will be losing their jobs, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg warning employees that more job cuts are likely as the year progresses. According to a Meta spokesperson, this will help “raise the bar” on performance management.

Similarly, in May, CrowdStrike announced plans to lay off around 500 employees, 5% of its total workforce. Like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, job cuts are part of a cost-cutting strategy, despite a confident financial outlook with a projected FY2026 revenue between $4.74 billion and $4.81 billion. Although cybersecurity remains a key area for global enterprises and governments, it is not being spared from workforce losses as businesses in the tech sector strive to balance their revenue ambitions with efficient, cost-effective operations.

In the past, widespread workforce cuts have often been performance-related, but 2025’s trend of tech layoffs paints a different picture, one that is driven by AI automation, restructuring, and shifts towards smaller, tech-augmented teams. No industry is escaping the impact of AI as it reshapes roles and tears through traditional operations.

With job security in Big Tech quickly becoming a thing of the past, long term stability may be something current and future generations hear of in mythical tales.

A World Economic Forum report revealed 41% of global companies are expecting to reduce their workforce by 2030, due to AI. Halfway through the decade and many traditional tech and support roles are under pressure. Nevertheless, evidence seems to suggest mid-career professionals working in adaptable roles are at higher risk of job losses.

(Image source: “Job Centre plus” by RMLondon is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.)

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