Amazon Reduces Workforce by Hundreds Amid Major Sales Event

WHO:

Fast Company - Amazon, a major online retail company.

GeekWire - Amazon's customer service, selling partner support, and retail engineering teams.

WHAT:

Fast Company - Amazon is cutting fewer than 1,000 jobs in its Stores division.

Fast Company - The layoffs are part of a series of recent smaller workforce reductions.

Fast Company - In January, Amazon announced it would cut 16,000 jobs across its workforce.

Fast Company - Last October, Amazon announced it would slash 14,000 corporate positions.

GeekWire - The job cuts occurred during Prime Big Deal Days.

WHERE:

Fast Company - The layoffs are affecting Amazon's Stores division, which is responsible for its online retail storefront.

WHEN:

Fast Company - Prime Big Deal Days ran Tuesday and Wednesday of the week of the layoffs.

Fast Company - The layoffs in January and October occurred in the years 2023 and 2022, respectively.

WHY:

Fast Company - Amazon stated the layoffs were to adjust parts of its Stores business to better deliver on its priorities.

Fast Company - Amazon's human resources executive Beth Galetti described the late 2025 reduction as a push to reduce bureaucracy and focus on AI priorities.

HOW:

Fast Company - Amazon confirmed the layoffs through a statement, indicating a commitment to support affected employees during their transition.

(UPDATED October 8, 2026 19:09 UTC)

Amazon is cutting fewer than 1,000 jobs in its Stores division, which oversees the company's online retail storefront, as part of a series of recent smaller workforce reductions. The layoffs coincide with Prime Big Deal Days, and Amazon's human resources executive, Beth Galetti, explained that this move aims to reduce bureaucracy and focus on AI priorities. The company has committed to supporting affected employees during their transition, following a significant reduction of 16,000 jobs announced in January and 14,000 corporate positions cut last October.