US online retail giant Amazon said Tuesday that it is eliminating 14,000 jobs to streamline its operations as it invests in artificial intelligence, without saying where the cuts will come.
Amazon said in a statement the reductions were a "continuation" of its efforts "to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs."
"While this will include reducing in some areas and hiring in others, it will mean an overall reduction in our corporate workforce of approximately 14,000 roles," said the statement on its corporate website, which was signed by senior vice-president Beth Galetti.
Galetti called AI "the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet," adding that "it's enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before."
On Monday, American media reported that large-scale layoffs were on the way at the online retailer, citing a worldwide total of 30,000 job cuts over several months.
According to the reports, the cuts would target areas such as human resources, advertising, and management in a group that has 350,000 office positions, out of a total of more than 1.5 million employees.
Galetti indicated that Tuesday's job cuts are just a first step.
"Looking ahead to 2026, we expect to continue hiring in key strategic areas while also finding additional places we can remove layers, increase ownership, and realize efficiency gains," she said.
AFP
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