San Francisco (US):Amazon has begun the process of cutting jobs across the company this week, US media reports said on Wednesday.
"After a deep set of reviews, we recently decided to consolidate some teams and programs. One of the consequences of these decisions is that some roles will no longer be required," hardware chief Dave Limp wrote in a memo to workers on Wednesday. "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," he added.
Limp said the company notified impacted employees and will continue to work closely with each individual to provide support, including assisting in finding new roles. The New York Times this week reported that Amazon was planning to lay off approximately 10,000 employees in corporate and technology roles. The report said the cuts would be the largest in the company's history.
The figure makes up roughly 3 per cent of its corporate workforce, and the total number of layoffs "remains fluid" and could change. Amazon's spokesperson Kelly Nantel said as part of the annual operating planning review process, certain roles are no longer necessary.