Amazon's 2026 lay-offs have taken a chaotic turn after an internal email was sent by mistake, confirming job cuts in its cloud unit and revealing plans for more to come. The draft message, intended for official release later, was inadvertently included in a calendar invitation sent late on Tuesday, 27 January, sparking immediate concern among staff.
With the company already having cut 14,000 roles in late October last year, this incident underscores the ongoing restructuring efforts at the tech giant, as it seeks to adapt to shifting market demands.
The Email Blunder
The calendar invitation, titled 'project dawn' – apparently the code name for the job cuts – was dispatched by an executive assistant and contained a draft from Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president at AWS. It referenced lay-offs affecting employees in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica as part of efforts to strengthen the company.
The email stated: 'This is a continuation of the work we've been doing for more than a year to strengthen the company by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy, so that we can move faster for customers.' It further noted: 'Changes like this are hard on everyone. These decisions are difficult and made thoughtfully as we position our organisation and AWS for future success.'
The invitation was promptly cancelled, but not before it reached a wide audience of employees, who began sharing screenshots on internal Slack channels with over 36,000 employees. The blunder nonetheless heightened anxiety just hours before anticipated official announcements. An Amazon spokesman declined to comment on the matter when approached.
Impact on Workforce
The premature email has ignited intense speculation regarding the extent of the lay-offs, with sources suggesting an additional 14,000 to 16,000 roles may be eliminated, pushing the cumulative total to approximately 30,000 by the conclusion of May.
On X, user WealVex posted: 'Amazon mishandled its Wednesday layoff plans after an internal email went out by mistake.'
Amazon mishandled its Wednesday layoff plans after an internal email went out by mistake. pic.twitter.com/R8wmnwMWOP
— WealVex (@WealVex) January 28, 2026
Workers impacted in prior rounds were provided with severance packages calibrated to their length of service and invited to reapply for vacant positions within the company. This current phase forms part of CEO Andy Jassy's aggressive cost-reduction strategy, which encompasses mandating a five-day-a-week office presence and closely monitoring expenditures, such as the £37 ($50) monthly reimbursement for mobile phone usage.
The scheduling of these events, immediately preceding quarterly earnings disclosures, intensifies scrutiny, as shareholders closely evaluate the efficacy of these efficiency-driven initiatives.
Broader Tech Trends
Amazon's measures mirror broader patterns across the technology industry, where firms have collectively eliminated 700,000 positions since 2022, as tracked by the website Layoffs.fyi.
Meanwhile, Amazon is channelling substantial investments into artificial intelligence, with plans to allocate £25.6 billion ($35 billion) per quarter to enhance its technological prowess.
The company recently announced the closure of its roughly 70 remaining Amazon-branded grocery stores, shifting focus to Whole Foods. These strategic shifts align with Jassy's call for a rethink of operations in a rapidly changing world.
As of 28 January 2026, reports indicate that some lay-offs have commenced in select departments, with additional ones expected imminently. The email mishap has underscored the difficulties inherent in handling communications during such delicate transitions within large corporations. Despite this, Amazon's share price holds steady, though the longer-term effects on employee morale and operational productivity are yet to fully materialise.
