Amazon cut thousands of engineers in its record layoffs, despite saying it needs to innovate faster

Core Insights - Amazon announced over 14,000 layoffs, significantly impacting engineering roles, which accounted for nearly 40% of the cuts in certain states [2][3][4] - The layoffs are part of a broader trend in the tech industry, with nearly 113,000 job cuts across 231 companies as businesses adjust post-COVID [4] - CEO Andy Jassy aims to transform Amazon's corporate culture to be more agile and less bureaucratic, with further job reductions expected in January [5][6] Layoff Details - The layoffs affected various job categories, with over 500 product and program managers eliminated, representing more than 10% of the total cuts [11] - The gaming division faced significant reductions, particularly in game design and production roles, with a halt on big-budget game development [13][15] - Amazon's online advertising sector also saw cuts, with over 140 roles eliminated, accounting for about 20% of the positions cut in New York [16] Strategic Shifts - Amazon is reallocating resources to invest more in AI, which is expected to reshape its workforce and improve efficiency [6][8] - The company is focusing on reducing organizational layers to enhance speed and innovation, despite AI not being the primary driver of the layoffs [8][9] - Recent years have seen Amazon curtail investments in unprofitable initiatives, including telehealth services and certain retail chains [12]