Amazon Devices Chief Says Layoffs Have Begun: ‘It Pains Me’
Amazon employees being fired from the devices team will receive severance packages if they can’t find other roles within Amazon.
(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. employees who learned Tuesday that they were being fired from the devices team will receive severance packages if they can’t find other roles inside the company.
It was the e-commerce giant’s first acknowledgment of a headcount cull that’s expected to be the deepest in the company’s history. Bloomberg reported earlier that some 10,000 Amazon corporate and technology employees could face termination.
“After a deep set of reviews, we recently decided to consolidate some teams and programs,” Dave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president of devices and services, said in a note to staff. “It pains me to have to deliver this news as we know we will lose talented Amazonians from the Devices & Services org as a result.”
Limp’s team handles devices such as the Echo smart speaker and the Alexa voice-activated platform. Devices and services remain a key area of investment for the company, Limp said. Bloomberg reported earlier this week that in addition to Limp’s team, layoffs were likely within the retail division and human resources.
The Seattle-based company is grappling with slowing sales as consumers revert to their pre-pandemic shopping habits and curb their spending amid the loftiest inflation in four decades.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.