New Delhi: Amazon has laid off several hundred employees from its cloud division, Amazon Web Services (AWS). While the company didn’t reveal the exact number, reports say that many people, especially from the training, certification, and specialist teams, were let go. The reason? A mix of AI, cost-cutting, and the company’s new focus on the future.
Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, had earlier said that Artificial Intelligence is one of the biggest shifts since the internet. And now, we are seeing what he meant. Amazon is using over 1,000 AI tools across the company, basically these tools can write code, translate many languages, find bugs in systems, and even make data reports.
So, many of the jobs that were once done by humans are now being replaced by AI, it’s like machines are becoming junior employees, faster, cheaper, and reliable.
This doesn’t mean Amazon is done hiring, it just means they are changing what kind of people they hire, instead of hiring for routine tasks, the company is now looking for people who understand AI, data, and complex tech systems.
The process was quick and, honestly, a little cold. Employees received an email early in the morning and lost access to the company system almost immediately. There was no personal call or meeting. For many, it was a sad and shocking start to the day.
But Amazon says the decision was not easy. The company promises to support affected employees and help them find new roles inside or outside the company.
Here’s the twist: Even though AWS is laying off people, it’s still doing super well in business. In the last quarter, AWS made $29.3 billion in sales and $11.5 billion in operating profit. So clearly, this isn’t about losses, it’s about preparing for the future.
Amazon has been cutting jobs across departments for the past two years, over 27,000 people have lost their roles. This includes teams working on devices, books, podcasts, and now cloud services.
Why this matter for all of us?
What’s happening at Amazon is not just about one company, it shows what’s happening in the whole tech industry. Many big companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft are also using AI more and cutting down on human jobs.Google
This means we, as students and future workers, need to think smart. Learning AI, coding, data science, or even creative tech work like design and storytelling will help us stay ahead. As Andy Jassy said, jobs will disappear, but new types of jobs will also be born.
