Amazon informs some employees about layoffs even before they reach office

The tech giant informed the employees even before they arrived at their office.

Amazon sent two text messages early Tuesday to inform employees their jobs had been eliminated, according to people familiar with the matter and screenshots reviewed by Business Insider.

Also Read: Amid AI-led efficiencies, Amazon finally makes layoff announcement, the biggest in its history

One message urged affected employees to check their personal or work email before coming to the office, the newspaper reported.

A second text directed them to call a help desk if they hadn't received "an email message about your role."

The texts, sent shortly after email notifications, were intended to prevent laid-off employees from arriving at the office and discovering their badges no longer worked, one of the people told Business Insider.

E-commerce giant Amazon has announced that it will trim its corporate workforce by laying off 14,000 jobs, according to a blog post shared by Beth Galetti, the company’s senior vice president of people experience and technology.

The move is part of Amazon’s "organizational changes across Amazon” that will result in an “overall reduction in our corporate workforce of approximately 14,000 roles,” Galetti stated.

Galetti referred to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy ‘s June announcement, which had signalled a reduction in Amazon workforce in future due to AI-driven efficiency gains.

“Last year, Andy posted a note about strengthening our culture and teams – explaining how we want to operate like the world’s largest startup, the importance of having the right structure to drive that level of speed and ownership, and the need to be set up to invent, collaborate, be connected, and deliver the absolute best for customers,” she said.

The cause of biggest job cuts in Amazon’s history

She said the “most transformative AI technology we’ve seen since the Internet” is enabling companies to innovate much faster and Amazon feels the need to organise more leanly.

“This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it's enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and altogether new ones). We’re convicted that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business.”

“The reductions we’re sharing today are a continuation of this work 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,” she explained.